There’s an old saying: “Be careful what you wish
for. You might just get it.”
Never was this more appropriate than when winter storm Nemo
walloped our area this past weekend. For
weeks, my children have been whining, “When are we going to get snow? We want snow!”
My response to this was that we have had snow. Granted there
hasn’t been much of it, but clearly what we got just wasn’t enough for
them.
“We want a lot of snow! We want a blizzard! We want a snow
day.”
Be careful what you wish for, children.
And so the winter fairy waved her magic wand and granted my
boys exactly what they wanted: a blizzard that pounded the region and left our
town with two feet of snow and two snow days (as of this writing). Of course,
what my children didn’t plan on was
the power loss that tagged along for the ride.
The first snow day went off without a hitch. Due to the timing of the storm, both my kids
and my husband were home Friday. The
kids enjoyed their video games and television while my husband and I kicked
back for a late afternoon movie. We had
just finished our last load of laundry and our last homemade hot meal when the
power went out. Armed with flashlights
and board games, we figured we were ready to ride out the storm.
The next morning, the kids were delighted to see that nearly
two feet of snow had been dumped overnight.
They were less than thrilled by a breakfast of cold cereal, with no
electricity to cook bacon or pancakes. The temperature in the house had dropped
overnight, requiring additional layers of clothing. My older son was pressed
into service shoveling the driveway, while my younger son lamented the demise
of his handheld game system, which his older brother had left on, draining the
battery. Lunch was whatever could be
heated in a frying pan on our gas grill.
“Hey, a three-day weekend isn’t fun without power, “ my
younger son observed.
Once the storm had subsided and the driving ban lifted, we
ventured out to a kind friend’s house.
Like high-tech refugees, we loaded up a box with every electronic device
and its charger, threw in the coffee maker and a carafe, and headed over for a
few hours of warmth, hot food and conversation. Though our host graciously
offered us a bed for the night, we chose instead to return to the cold and
gloom; no one wants to be a burden to others, even when your house is hovering
at 48 degrees Fahrenheit.
Returning home, we built a fire and huddled close. It was at
this point that we received a text message stating that National Grid would not
be restoring power to our town for another 72 hours. Our well-chilled gloom had
just been extended for three more days.
On Sunday morning my younger son and I ventured out to
church to pray for restored power while my older son stayed home for more
shoveling (the roof this time). As we
traveled past the Hanover Mall, we noticed hundreds of power trucks amassed in
the parking lot. I figured they were
awaiting their assignments; my son guessed they were there to restore power to
Dunkin’ Donuts. Hey, a lineman’s gotta eat, right?
Even without power or heat, my son and I managed to stay
warm by huddling close to our fellow church members and by choosing a window
seat located directly in a stream of warm sunlight. As we drove home, I pointed
out several homes that had sustained damage by fallen trees. I reminded my son that although we had no
power or heat, our house was intact, our family was unharmed and we had
thoughtful friends who continued to offer us food, lodging and a warm place to
recharge our cell phones and our souls.
And the hot water bottle I discovered in the bottom of my closet wasn’t
too shabby either.
School was cancelled for a second day. Strangely, no whoop of joy greeted this
announcement. With no power, no heat and no hot food, the snow day has lost its
appeal. My younger son wailed, “I hate
this snowstorm!”
Another life lesson learned.
Sometimes wishes do come
true. Which is why you need to be
careful what you wish for.
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