Tag: power

See You Later or Goodbye?

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Do you remember the last words you said to your friends of family today? When I spoke with my mommy, auntie and granddaughter (of course on Bluetooth) I made sure to say “I love ya’ll”  before hanging up the phone. I have every intention of calling them back before I go to bed tonight. Not one time did I stop to think about what if one of us never made it home? I have to admit it’s something I often take for granted. There have been countless examples in the news lately when people leave home to go to work, school or run a quick errand and never make it back.  During their grief, I am sure family and friends wonder what was the last thing I said to my son, daughter or friend?

None of us are robots and I know we are not always in the best mood. Maybe we are having a bad day because we are sick or because we are upset about something.  I still try to remain mindful and make sure I don’t end a conversation on a bad note.  We never know if it will be see you later or goodbye.

I can recall recently being home alone and not feeling well. I was determined to handle everything on my own because I did not want to bother anyone. I was irritated because I was in pain and I was irritated because of course I had so much to do and getting sick was not on my to do list. Before I decided to turn off my cell phone, my friend called to check on me and I was a bit short with him. I don’t even think I said goodbye. I literally just hung up. Not too long after the hang up there was a knock at my door. Not only was my friend standing at the door, but he threatened to call my mommy if I did not let him in. When I let him in, I laughed so hard and apologized for being so short with him. I told him I loved him and thanked him for checking on me. Turns out, I really needed everyone, all of my friends and family. I try not to end a conversation without saying I love you.

I hope everyone takes time to think about how words have power. Something as small as saying thank you or I love you to someone can make a world of difference. If you are in  a bad mood already or if someone makes you angry, try to be mindful of your words because those words could be the very last ones you speak or that they hear from you.

 

Ephesians 4:26-27 26″In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.

The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia (Okay Just At My House!)

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It was a glorious rainy afternoon in October and there was slight breeze in the air. Anyone that knows me, knows this is my absolute favorite time of the year. I was going to make the most out of this day. My plans included playing with my puppy Gambino, taking a hot shower, making a bite to eat, binge watching Brit Box while doing a bit of writing. This was a great day to be home or so I thought.  It was around 3 PM as I was stepping out of the shower all of a sudden my music stop playing.  Everything got quiet and the air conditioner faded. Initially, I didn’t give it a second thought. It was only raining hard outside. There was no thunder or lightening so surely it was just a glitch in the system. After I got dressed, I decided to take a nap because there was nothing else to do. I could cook, watch television and read once I woke up. I knew the power would be restored by then.

I woke up feeling like I had been asleep for days. Gambino was waking up and we sat there staring at each other, trying to figure out what to do next. It was so quiet and there was still no power. By that time, I was getting upset and hot. It was getting dark. I was hungry and  bored out of my mind. I called Georgia Power and was told they were aware of the outage and to keep calling back for updates. I was not ready to hear that. I immediately started pouting and complaining. ” Are you serious right now?” “It ain’t even doing anything outside!” “Man, I should’ve stayed in Alabama!” After the rant monologue, I lit candles and just sat down. I was lucky enough to have a portable charger, so I was able to listen to some music and play on social media. I sang every song in my catalogue  to Gambino until he finally ran under the couch. It was too hot to sleep. I was tired of singing and I just wanted to watch British television. I finally just sat there, mad at the world.  While I was sitting in my recliner, acting as if my world had come crashing down, a little voice told me to stop complaining and be thankful. But I didn’t want to be thankful, I wanted to a brat because my plans were ruined.  Reluctantly , I  re-evaluated my situation. It was raining outside, but I had shelter. There was no electricity, but I had candles and a flashlight. I could’ve read by candlelight. I was not able to cook, but I had food I could’ve eaten that was already prepared. I could’ve ordered in if I chose to. The air conditioner or fan was not working, but I could’ve opened up all of my windows as well as my patio doors. I felt bad about complaining. At least I knew I would have power at some point. The people in Puerto Rico not only don’t have power, but they don’t have anything. Everything they once knew is no longer there and they have no idea when things will get back to normal. There I was carrying on about a little power outage, when all I had to do was to look around and count my blessings. Sometimes we focus more on what we don’t have rather than being grateful for what we do have.  Things don’t always go as planned, but that’s okay. The power was eventually restored around 3:00 AM in the morning. What did I do once I had power? Turned off everything and went to bed.