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Truly Important Things
During a recent thunderstorm, we lost power for
three days—along with a quarter million other
families across the middle of Michigan’s palm.
Not having access to many of our modern
conveniences and gadgets gave me a rare opportunity
to reflect on what is really important in my
life.
No television? Not a problem, we don’t have
one anyway. No refrigeration? We borrowed a
neighbor’s generator and charged the cold
every couple hours. No coffee maker? I used our
camping stove and percolator in the backyard every
morning. Let’s not lose all sense of
civilization. As for the rest of our necessities, I
wondered which were truly important and which were
things I could live without.
Number one on my list of “Really Important
Things” is air conditioning. Happily, the
storm broke a string of 90o+ days, but the sun came
out and dried up all the rain and the itsy bitsy
spider still got cooked on the sidewalk. When I was
growing up, we didn’t have air conditioning.
Eventually, we got a window unit that encouraged
family togetherness because we all had to stand
directly in front of it to get any relief.
Now, in my own house, we have central air. I
have no idea how I survived so long without it. Why
isn’t there a puddle of my sweaty remains
dripping in front of some box fan somewhere in my
past? I must have been tougher back then. Now,
having adjusted to the comforts of a/c, I suppose
my blood is thinner. Still, I can never go
back.
The second “luxury” I sorely missed
during our powerless adventure was a bathroom fan.
Having city water, the plumbing still worked and
using flashlights and a battery operated lantern
made using the john simple enough. However, our
most heavily used bathroom has no windows. There
was no way to vent the small space after it was
used except to let the foul air diffuse into the
rest of the house, which was closed up in an
attempt to keep whatever cool air there was from
escaping due to a lack of air conditioning. It
wasn’t long before olfactory comfort won out
and windows were opened.
And it got hot again.
I didn’t know how important the dishwasher
was until I was left without it. (My kids are too
young to do them yet—so I don’t have four
dishwashers, only one.) I was amazed at how much
time it took to do dishes. I was at the sink all
day! Luckily, I had the extra time because I
couldn’t do any laundry. I would buy new
clothes before using a bucket and washboard, thank
you very much.
The fourth necessity is last because I am
embarrassed it is on the list at all. I hate to
admit it, but I sighed each time I passed my
lifeless computer. I had stuff to do, things to
learn, people to communicate with. I had to write
this column in a notebook with a pen, for
Pete’s sake! It was barbaric! Talk about
connecting with my Inner Caveman. It is always good
for me to sit back and consider what is truly
important: sure, my kids, my wife, my health, all
good blessings, yada yada yada. I see their
importance every day. But the storm showed me how
lucky I am to live in comfortable, good smelling
house with clean dishes and Internet access. Now
that my eyes have been opened, I can be truly
thankful. Amen.
©2008, Mark
Phillips
* * *
Women, it's true, make human beings, but
only men can make men. - Margaret Mead
Mark
Phillips is a Stay-At-Home-Dad and freelance
writer. Along with raising his four children, he is
developing a franchise called “The Vacuum IS a
Power Tool.” It is designed to help SAHDs
maintain that which makes us men, instead of hairy
Mom-substitutes. He earned a B.S. in
Communication/Theatre Arts and teaching
certificates in English, public speaking, and
psychology from Eastern Michigan University. After
six years as a high school English teacher and
Director of Dramatic Arts at Powers Catholic High
School in Flint, Michigan, he changed careers and
became a Stay-At-Home-Dad. www.TheVacuumIsAPowerTool.com
or E-Mail
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