Saturday, July 16, 2011

Lost Power, Found More

We lost our electricity - but found something else along the way.

A storm slammed through northern Illinois recently. Like a concrete block to the chest, hurricane winds, rain and lightning pillaged the state.

Trees split in half to the ground. Others uprooted, thrown into houses and onto cars. Basketball hoops flung across driveways. Patio furniture whipped across yards.

Furious, frantic and fast – and over in less than half an hour.

And everywhere the lights went out.

Over 800,000 lost power. For days. Some for over a week. Right in the middle of a heat wave.

Now, in the past, when I would hear that people had lost power for several days, I’d shake my head and then quickly get back to whatever electrical-powered device I was using.

Then it happened to us.

And nothing makes it real like having it happen to you.

So, my wife, kids and I did what people have been doing since there were people.

We improvised.

We lived by flashlight. We slept in the basement where it was cooler. I left work early to take the kids to a movie. We read books. And we lit candles. Lots and lots of candles.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It was a hard three days.

But others had it worse. They’d lost more than power. In fact, we drove around several neighborhoods, shocked at the destruction, yet awed by the way people were helping each other. Neighbors carrying chainsaws and climbing ladders – while electrical utility trucks from other states crossed the county, called in to help out.

Yes, we learned again how much we rely on electricity.

But, we also learned that we rely on each other even more.