Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A Thank You Note

Just a note to thank our local Entergy service crews for restoring our power which was out for about 45 minutes this morning. I called the Entergy power outage number about ten minutes after we lost power and was told, by a recorded message, that the outage had already been reported and that the problem should be fixed by 10:30 a.m. The message also gave me an option of being called back with updates if it took longer than expected.

I felt "lost" as I walked around the house ... everything I wanted to do required POWER (computer, TV, washing machine, lights in the attic to get Fall decor out).  I couldn't even go somewhere because I would have had to disable the automatic garage door opener, which I don't know how to do, and, of all things, manually lift the door. I couldn't think of a single place I wanted to go bad enough to go through all that. 

Luckily, the Entergy guys were able to fix the problem and restore the power sooner than expected.  But that brief 45 minutes of quiet ... free from the hum of appliances and ceiling fans and air conditioning turning off and on ... made me painfully aware that I have become so spoiled by this wonderful modern convenience called electricity that I take it for granted.  And not only that, I'm also guilty of taking for granted the service men (and women) who are out in the sweltering August sun, either up in the air working on power lines or transformers, or down in trenches working on underground equipment ... working to restore our power as quickly as they possibly can.


They are a welcoming and comforting sight during weather-related disasters like Katrina and Sandy, or catastrophic tornadoes ... putting their lives at risk as first-responders, doing all they can to help, not only to restore power, but to restore lives in the process.   


I was very impressed by the efficiency of the Entergy crews this morning, and appreciate their fast response and service restoring our power.  I will try to remember in the future to be more appreciative of our modern conveniences and not take them or, more importantly, the people who make them work, for granted.

3 comments:

RachelD said...

And my hearty Thank You, as well. Those folks who know how to keep the lines humming are due a great vote of thanks, for they feed us our comfort and entertainment and convenience and safety every day.

The Grandchildren and I have always, always, said a little "God Bless 'em," when we see a fire truck or police car flying by, or hear sirens close or far, and in the past few years, we've added Power Trucks to our little prayer.

Those lines of trucks and Cats and cherry-pickers caravanning away into the distance on their missions of relief are as tear-provoking as lines of soldiers.

They stand ready, they know the discomforts and hindrances and dangers, and they're THERE, when we're warily peeking out into the storm or staying clear of downed lines or just hoping that freezer-worth of hard work from the garden will stay frozen til they can do their thing.

Thank you for expressing so well what we should all be thinking of our Faithful Folks who keep us up and running.

rachel

Sue said...

We really don't realize how much we depend on electricity until there is none! I know exactly about walking into a room with no lights, and forgetting to turn the switch off, then waking up in the middle of the night with what seems like most lights are on. ~smile~
I too am so thankful for these service folks. Enjoy your evening, I am so glad you now have power.

Pat said...

Yes, Janie, it is nice to have a reminder of all the wonderful people there are in this world ... Bless them all!

Pat in Tallahassee