Lessons of Hardship
We had our power shut off yesterday. Due to several circumstances that I will not get into here, the bill didn't get paid and sure enough, some guy came out to cut us off. It sucked and there was some mild panic immediately after the fact but then the problem solver instinct took over and it went from mild panic to consideration of how to survive this episode. Heather began to explore options and figure out how to get the power back on. This means dealing with people and being humble, something that I'm terrible at so she took on that job. I began to consider the more physical aspects of our dilema. I went to the store and got charcoal for the BBQ grill and checked my camping supplies to make sure that we had gas for the camp grill. I picked up some supplies and made sure that we had light to see via candles and flashlights and a means to eat. Later on, after we were all home, we cooked out on the back deck while Erin played with some other kids in the park next door. After the poatoes and the meat was cooked, we ate upstairs by candle light and spent the evening reading and playing together. It was actually quite a pleasant evening.
Two things that I came away with from this experience. First, having the power shut off is much less of a problem than having the water shut off, which we have experienced before. More then this though was the change in life and activity that happened once the TV was turned off. Heather and I spent the evening talking and reading. Erin played with other neighborhood kids and got plenty of air and exercise. It felt that we were closer and healthier without the interference of technology. For us this consists of the TV and the internet. Now, I wont besmirch the internet, I still think it's the best thing to happen to the human race, intellectualism and free speech since, well... since philosophy. TV on the other hand I'm not so impressed by. Heather and I decided last night that we'd keep the TV off until after dinner from now on. I hope we can stick to that.
posted by Dave at 11:21 AM
4 Comments:
Dave!!! You guys take care of yourselves! Budget, man, budget. When the sun is shining, you got to save for the rainy day. Don't forget what we learned in WMA, it wasn't a total loss. Call you soon.
Four months of unemployment without any sort of unemployment assistance will do that to you. Has nothing to do with budget. Don't bother calling until monday unless you have my cell phone number. We wont be up until then. On the plus side, I'm catching up on my reading and using camping equipment that I don't normally get to use. :)
Whoa! I thought they would pay out in your case, you should've been eligible for unemployment...I have had so many problems with getting them to pay out, I don't ever expect it. MD and NY are super-tight with the unemployment.
Would have had it, should have had it. Employer lied to keep their rates from going up. If I were a less rational person, the company would be burned to the ground and the owners dead. Luckily for them, I'm a level headed guy who's not really prone to do that kind of stuff. (For any law enforcement and/or legal entity - I'm not doing this. There is no threat stated or implied here. Go solve some real crimes.)
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