A taste of my own "medicine"

I hear these news reports about rolling blackouts in California. Hubby and I were discussing the social uproar these events cause and I made some comments like "I don’t understand what the big deal is. Why don’t they just go to the mall or to the movies? So what if the power is off for a few hours. No biggee."

Yesterday afternoon we traveled to Cedar Rapids to visit our new nephew. He is adorable. So tiny. For the record, he did cry when I held him the first time - but he was hungry and continued crying when hubby held him. The second time I held him I did a marvelous job and hubby’s confidence in my baby-handling skills was boosted. We got home around 7:30 or so.

And then karma snuck up behind me and made me really eat my own words. No power. Most of our subdivision was totally electricity-less. There are a couple of funny things that you never consider when you make statements like the ones I made in reference to the rolling blackouts.

First, no electricity means not only is your air conditioner getting a rest, it also means you can’t even plug in the good old fashioned fans. Phooey. No electricity means that meal you were going to cook is certainly put on hold. Just have cereal. Phooey. Opening and closing the fridge causes the contents to warm up faster than if you just left them alone. You have to think of exactly what you want when you open the door and then immediately grab and shut. Phooey. Your house is outrageously quiet except for the LOUD ticking of the battery-powered clock on the wall. Go sit outside and watch the neighbors because there’s nothing entertaining inside. Phooey. All of this is shocking, I know.

So we sat outside, watched the electricity repair trucks drive by, watched the neighbors, talked to my parents on the cell phone and tried to cool off in a 90 degree breeze. Maybe I get it now. Maybe I understand that when the power goes off on a really hot day, you really are inconvenienced. Maybe it isn’t as easy to just grin and bear as I once thought. Maybe I considered myself more tolerant than I actually am.

At 10:15 the power came back on. We ate a very late supper, turned on some fans, and slept in the blissfully gentle hum of our air conditioner whirring away. I know now how spoiled I am when I am not subjected to rolling blackouts.

My words are much more fun to read than they are to eat.