Well, about five minutes after posting yesterday, my power luckily came back on, but for many in our area, neighborhoods remain dark. I can walk one street in either direction and see no lights on anywhere. For many people, power being out is simply an inconvenience, but for a few with medical issues necessitating the use of power, it could be a little more frightening. When looking at the damage that this storm brought to our region, in fact most of the eastern seaboard of the United States, the power being out should be the least of people's worries. Granted, hundreds of thousands of people are still without power and some could be without it for maybe another week, but when looking at the other damage and devastation that this storm has brought to the immediate coastline and rivers, people should count their blessings. Looking at the news, it is now estimated that Hurricane Irene will be one of our nations top ten costliest national disasters. If you look at the news even closer, a bigger issue than the power being out is the flooding that is still occurring as rivers try to drain all the excess water. In some areas, rivers are still rising and the worst is not over yet. Personally, my heart goes out to all those that lost belongings or even their homes due to this storm. Perhaps the hardest hit area in our region was East Haven where 4 houses on Long Island sound were swept away and at least 25 were condemned. When looking at the people who lost everything, it is kind of hard to get upset about the power being out for a few days or even a week. I kind of expected to lose power because after all, it was a hurricane that blew through. Yet when listening to the radio, most of what I hear is anger and frustration that it is taking so long to get the power back on. Is it annoying? I didn't find it so, but some obviously can't deal without their TV, Internet, and amenities being available.
My biggest problem with people complaining about their power being out is that everyone had ample warning that this storm was coming. We knew for up to a week that this storm was tracking up the coast and would likely hit our region. Yet despite the warnings, people obviously did not prepare for the worst and now are suffering. So who are they to complain. Connecticut alone at its peak had over 700,000 people without power. Currently it is down to around 400,000, a remarkable turnaround in my mind so far. On top of that, we have utility crews coming from around the country to help get all our power back up and running. Yet people still complain that they have no power, can't take their showers, and their food is starting to go bad. Its mind boggling to me that people can complain so much about their situation when they still have a roof over their heads and their belongings safe inside. What about the people that lost a family member in this storm or had their house swept away? Anyone who is complaining about their situation would do well to take a step back for second and put themselves in these people's shoes who lost everything. Would they still be complaining? Some probably would due to their selfish nature and inability to deal with inconvenience.
So what do you do with your lives when you don't have power? I personally relaxed. There was nothing much to do except light some candles, play cards by candle light, and sit by a fire outside in the evenings. I personally found it quite beautiful, especially when I was sitting by the fire, looked up, and was able to see more stars in the sky than I normally could because lights were out. Having no power makes you appreciate power a little more when you do have it. We all take for granted the fact that when we flip on a light switch, the lights go on. I can not tell you how many times I walked into the bathroom with the power out and still flipped on the switch expecting light to come on. Even just the fact that I couldn't make coffee made me appreciate power that much more. I must be honest, the first few things I did when the power came back on were to brew up a pot of coffee, put my keg back in the kegerator (a little refrigerator for a keg with a tap on top for those that don't know), and take a long hot shower. Being able to do those simple things was wonderful. Even with the power back on, my wife and I spent the night outdoors last night, sitting by the fire instead of watching TV. Why? Because it allowed us to talk to each other and enjoy the cool brisk evening.
I guess my overall message here is to be grateful when you do have power and when it is off, don't complain, but look at the bigger picture and look at those that lost everything. Take the time without power to get back to the basics, the activities that don't require you to be plugged into the wall. Can it be frustrating sometimes? Absolutely. (Trust me, I wanted my coffee really badly) But in the overall scheme of things, a few days or a week without power is just a little speed bump that life throws at you to see how you handle it. If you have power, be grateful, and if you don't, just deal with it. There are many in this world for who power would be a luxury. For us in the United States, it is a given most of the time. Let us appreciate what we have and instead of complaining when we lose power, lets seek to help those that lost everything.
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