It’s been a week.
While I was writing Wednesday’s W^2 post, I was sipping coffee at a Starbuck’s because a thunderstorm had knocked our power out. I figured I could charge my devices, create an overdue post, and maybe collect my thoughts from an already busy week.
I finished my post and my coffee, then stopped to grab dinner and head home.
The power had not been restored; fortunately the storm brought relief from the heat and humidity, so sleeping without power came quickly.
The power was still out when I awakened Thursday morning. I checked with the power company – the update stated that they planned to have power restored by Saturday at 3:00 PM! I knew that our outrage was relatively small – only a 100 customers. According to the power company, they had more than 200,000 customers without power, so I understood the three-day timeline.
No power meant no coffee. So, I left the house to grab a cup of coffee. I had a lot to think about.
Thursday’s forecast called for two more waves of severe storms, with the latter being the strongest.
Besides the power being out, I planned to be at lake the following day , but I couldn’t leave the house without power including a full refrigerator and freezer. I had a lot to think about and do.
My first thought was to get a generator, which I quickly realized made little sense. Then it shifted to empty both freezer and refrigerator, clean them, and restock later when the power was restored. Finally, it dawned on me I could donate the salvage the frozen food and donate them to the food pantry, while tossing the what couldn’t. To do the salvage and donate, I needed to borrow a cooler from my son, so I left the house to pick it up and passed the cause of the power outage where I discovered two power company repair trucks parked and waiting. So maybe, power might be restored after all. I got the cooler, anyway, and was back a half-hour later.
When I returned, the power company was starting to stage the repair by closing off the two lane road before beginning the repair.
I took a walk to inspect, and be nosey. I took a few photos, too. On the way back I ran onto a few neighbors and I shared what I had learned.
So, I waited. I took a short nap.
The first wave of thunderstorms rolled through, then power came back on. We had been without power for twenty-three hours.
We still had one more wave of weather to roll through and it would be the most severe of the week, possibly the season. But I was relieved and I could start thinking, again.
The last line of storms passed through with the worst of the storms passing south of our home. And the electricity stayed on.
Friday morning, I drove to the lake, stopping along the way to visit my brother and his wife at their campsite in Holland, Michigan. Yesterday, they joined us at the lake for a visit and dinner. Today, we hope to take a ride on the lake and finish the day with dinner.
Until then, I need to get moving and jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is going to be a great day. Making the Days COUNT, one day at a time, slowing down to restart thinking.
Have you ever had a moment like the sign read?