Thanksgiving, Early

Amy writes:

Foodies, beware. This is our first non-food related post. Ever. But read on anyway.

Amidst the destruction of "Winter" Storm Alfred which, with his wet, heavy snow and gusty winds, brought down trees and power lines across the region on October 30th, it's been easy this past week to dwell on the things we don't have. Power. Refrigeration. Heat. Cable. Internet access. Crisp, autumn nights in which the peaceful silence is not filled with the hum of generators punctuated by the shrillness of sirens.

We were extremely lucky - none of our friends and loved ones were among the eight (current Connecticut estimate) whose deaths were related to the storm. Our hearts go out to those families and the remainder of this post is not meant to devalue their grief in any way. Neither we nor any of our friends and loved ones have suffered from irreparable losses. Homes may be cold and dark, but are generally intact. Yes, we were very lucky. It could have been much worse.

The realization of how lucky we have been is perhaps why today, in this month of Thanksgiving, I'm feeling particularly grateful. So rather than participate in the "outage outrage" that seems to be going around, I wanted to make a list of some of the things for which I'm grateful.

I'm grateful for...

...the fact that our friends and loved ones are safe and unhurt.

...the natural gas that we could cook with even without power.

...power in all its myriad forms.

...having the means to buy a generator we ended up not needing but were able to lend to a neighbor.

...a neighborhood where people feel comfortable lending each other things like generators.

...my TiVo box that was filled with shows and movies we never had the time to watch.

...a week off of school with not much that really could get done other than watching those TiVo shows.

...the IPhone, my connection to the world via text, phone, and Words With Friends.

...all the men and women working hard to bring back power and cable and all those things we take for granted.

...the vast number of passable roads.

...open hospitals and all who work in them.

...up and running emergency services and all who supply them.

...warm and welcoming shelters available to anyone who needs them.

...the many gas stations, supermarkets and restaurants that are open for business.

...working ATMs.

...the perversely pleasurable respite from modern day information technology that came from having no cable and Internet, but also...

...getting power back after only 36 hours, and cable and Internet after 6 days.

I could go on, I suppose, and I apologize if I've forgotten something important. But the point is, Alfred pales in comparison to other natural disasters (take Katrina for example). I'd like to forget about "outage outrage" and be grateful for what we do have. And perhaps save our outrage for things that are truly outrageous, like $10 million dollar weddings for marriages that last 72 days. 

Disclaimer: The views I have expressed here are not necessarily those held by my husband, the better half of A Couple in the Kitchen. Actually, he is outraged that because of something called "STEAM," he is unable to play his video games without Internet access.