Sometimes, what happens in life throws you completely off guard. Last month, on the 20th, after a couple of days of very strong and unrelenting winds, a tree fell down on a power line in our neighborhood at 11:05 a.m. And, yes, February in Michigan is very cold. Thankfully, at least, this happened on a Saturday when I have been trying very hard to lighten my workload for our business.
Power outage reminded me of how dependent we all are in this “civilized” world with seemingly abundant electricity. Some of the most basic items that we take for granted are:
- Internet / phone
- Heater / air conditioner
- On-demand water heater
- With city water (as opposed to well water), at least, we still have water but it is not heated.
- Thankfully, we happened to have taken a shower just a few hours prior.
- Lights
- Both interior and exterior.
- It reminded me how beautiful and bright the moonlight is in an environment where there is absolutely no other light anywhere.
- Kitchen appliances such as refrigerator / freezer, stove top, microwave oven
- Garage-door opener
- ETC., etc.
Thankfully, our favorite local coffee shop was not affected by the power outage. We spent that Saturday afternoon there with one of our clients, hammering out potential deals. After the meeting, I kept working and getting things done on the Internet until the coffee shop was ready to close at 5 p.m. While there, I was able to recharge both my PC and cell-phone batteries.
The power outage was estimated to last until 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 21. I took this as a sign that I needed to chill out and enjoy the time with David, completely away from work for a change. Since December 2015 when the latest Star Wars movie came out, I have been putting off seeing it – because I always had to take care of “just a couple more things” for our business even on weekends.
With no power, we decided that we might as well spend as much time as we could at a warm theater. This meant we could watch not just one but two movies that we have been wanting to see:
- The Big Short
- Star Wars – The Force Awakens
At the theater, we learned that a few of the seats have electrical outlets next to them – so we were able to keep our cell phones re-charged. By the time the second movie started, DTE Energy sent out a notice via iPhone app, indicating that the power was restored – several hours earlier than forecast. Yay!
Having learned that we could go home to resume a normal life was such a relief – after having been able to enjoy the movies that we’ve always wanted to see, no less.
The power outage made me realize how many things for which we should be grateful on a daily basis.
Life is good!
p.s. I’m not sure how this was possible but, while the power was completely out, we were still able to turn on our natural-gas fireplace with a switch. This was a wonderful discovery, especially in our area where winter can be bitter cold.
