The power went out in our little valley yesterday, an occurrence to be expected given where we live and the weather that blows through. Sometimes it’s due to a heavy snowfall causing branches to break off and fall on a power line, and at other times, as was the case yesterday, abundant rainfall coupled with heavy winds, and trees uproot and fall across a line somewhere. Regardless of the cause, the connection is broken and the line needs to be repaired in order for the flow of power to resume.
Once the power goes out, it is up to the county line crew to head out on snowmobiles or four wheel drive vehicles to find the location and cause of the problem, and do what it takes to get the electricity that powers all of our lives up and running again. It isn’t easy work, and there is risk involved. The work takes them out into the forest, they are often operating in the middle of the night, and I couldn’t be more grateful for their expertise and willingness to do the hard work to get things back on track.
We’ve lived here long enough to invest in a high quality generator as a stop-gap measure to keep the basics in our home running until power is restored. But it is just that. A temporary fix. Long term, the power needs to be restored through the repairing of the line.
As is true with electricity, so it is with human connection. The power that fuels our life with others is communication, and just as it is realistic to expect the occasional electrical power outage, it is wise to anticipate the same between human beings. We need to develop the expertise, and the willingess to do the hard work of getting things back on track. Which means, that when the power goes out, we must be prepared to hop on our metaphorical snow mobiles or four wheel drive vehicles and head out into the forest, find the source of the break, and do what it takes to get communication flowing again.
Investing in a generator isn’t a bad idea either. A short term strategy to keep the basics in a relationship running until full communication is restored. Even if we aren’t the ones to “cause” the power outage, (although there is almost always shared responsibility) the sooner someone heads out to locate the problem, the better.
Communication breakdowns hurt everyone, and the longer we wait to address the problem the greater the chance of more damage to the line.
Photo by Andre Maura on Pexels.com