It’s been stormy here in the Pacific Northwest, and we’ve broken some rain records. It’s been windy too, and when the wind blows, trees fall, and when trees fall, the power goes out. We live in an unincorporated area of a county, in a newly created hamlet actually. Isn’t that quaint? Â It’s quaint until the lights go out and you don’t really have much idea when they are going to come back on. Oh, they give you estimates, but sometimes they get extended. One time, we lost power for four long days, and I’ve learned to prepare for the worst.
I’ve gotten good at building a fire in the wood stove and remembering to keep the flashlight handy. Those quiet, dark times always remind me how helpless we are without electricity: no heat (furnace has an electric starter), little water (need electric well pump), and only about 9 hours of daylight in the winter.
My desktop doesn’t work, and everything is on my desktop, even phone numbers for calling people. My laptop works for a few hours, but without the router and modem, both electrically powered, no internet. Essentially, my business shuts down, and my life as I live it is changed in an instant.
The last two times this happened, rather than fighting it, I decided to enjoy it. I spent one day at the gym swimming and water “spa-ing,” and the rest of the time was spent at the library. Another time, I went to my girlfriend Paula’s house, and we gabbed as she wrapped Christmas presents. It snowed, and it was delightful.
Despite how I made my days off fun, I’ve come to think that the electricity going off is a good reminder about life: it can change in an instant. The lessons that I take from this are: be prepared, go with the flow, make the best of it, and appreciate what you have while you have it.