Power Outages

I cannot let this week end without commenting on the recent power outages, some of which at the time of this writing, are not yet resolved. There are two things that are apparent to me at first glance. My first observation, in light of our L&P experiences, is just how much I depend on technology to communicate with friends, family, and coworkers. Some newly introducted apps can be absolutely indispensable during a crisis situation. As much as we use some of the web based apps for socializing and simply having fun, there is a serious side to it as well. Take for example Twitter. When my power was out I was able to let people know what was going on, even from my cell phone. Very helpful when there are people I talk to on a regular basis who do not have text messaging service and who would worry about me if I just suddenly stopped communicating. I also received updates from family living in Texas (Galveston and Houston) who had been seriously affected by Hurricane Ike. Which leads me to observation number 2. We, as human beings, are incredibly spoiled. Myself included. My electric was out. I lost a little food in the fridge, but my frozen stuff was saved thanks to the generous offer of space in a couple of friends freezers. Not much financial hardship. I could take a shower, but not blow dry my hair. I had to put off doing laundry and dishes. My experience was one of inconvenience but not hardship, though I know not everyone experienced the same thing. I worried about medically sensitive people who needed electricity for more immediate reasons. I kept thinking about my own Mom who, if this had happened just two short years ago, would have been in dire straights because she was on oxygen. The machine she used at home needed electricity, and the individual tanks only last so long. Certainly not five days by the time my power was restored. And again, we were not dealing with a hurricane on top of all that. No rain, no flooding, no displacement without the ability to even get in to see your house to assess the damage. We probably had the best weather possible for not having any heating or cooling. But I was encouraged by what I saw too. I talked to more neighbors over the past few days than I have in months. For that matter, my kids and I had dinner together for three evenings, a rare event anymore. I saw people offering up help, physical labor and freezer space to others, sometimes strangers, every day. I also saw alot of good natured people, who were bearing it all with a smile on their face and a joke or two. Sometimes I think we are tested as humans like this to remind us of what is really important, so that we can put our priorities back in order.