Sunday, December 4, 2011

The New Me


Disaster has taught me a lot about myself.
We live in an area that had massive winds last week—up to 100 miles an hour. Our neighborhood lost trees, power lines, etc. etc. etc. There is a car down the way smashed flat from a giant tree falling across the driveway. A nearby crunched-in roof bears the weight of a pine tree. Chain saws are running overtime to clear the roads.
The first night the power was out, I cooked chicken and broccoli casserole on the gas stove. (It isn’t as good as in the oven.) We had a candle light supper and enjoyed the sunset. But by the end of two days, I felt very irritated.
I didn’t mind being without power. We had a fireplace to keep us slightly warm. I was fine without TV. It’s noisy anyway. The silence of a dead telephone was golden. Two things upset me. One was being without the internet. That’s my link to the world. I had no idea how much I enjoyed connecting with others. The other half of my distress came from not being able to write on my computer. Hand-scripting just isn’t the same. It’s slow and cumbersome, but better than nothing.
I was so happy once my computer and internet were working again. I have a new understanding about myself and my feelings, and it took a disaster to bring me this knowledge.
So, my gratitude this week is for the electronic age and the great inventions that are part of our lives. Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.
Hats off to electronics! We love you!
Christy Monson

2 comments:

Dawn Ius said...

I'm so with you on the electronics part. I can do without the TV, even power (I have a fireplace and gas stove too), but I feel so lost without the Internet...and my computer. Glad you're back in power :-)

Carolyn V said...

I'm so sorry to hear about the downed power/trees. That was some storm last week.

I agree, I love electronics. I don't know what I would do w/o my lappy. Probably cry a little. ;)