| ReminderMy power got cut. On Wednesday, I came home from work to find that the lights weren’t working, the refrigerator was warm, and my alarm clock was dead. It was an unexpected and disconcerting discovery. I don’t have power? Weird. I ran for the circuit breakers, tried to reset them, and got no response. Something’s wrong. At first I thought it was the whole building but as soon as I stepped out and saw the hallway lights, I became aware that the problem's just in my unit. Then I realized that I haven’t been getting my electric bills lately. Oh shit. And that I don’t recall the last time I wrote a check out to the PacificGas & Electric Company. Oh my God. I called PG&E for some answers and my suspicion was confirmed. They discontinued my service because of delinquent payments. They haven’t been getting what they wanted. I told them I don’t think I’ve gotten my bills in a while and asked for the address on my file. As it turns out, they didn’t have all the information. They had my floor, sixth, but not my unit, 609. They sent the bills and the reminders about the missed payments to the address with the floor number, but not the actual unit. Great. I asked them how I was able to get all the other invoices before. I was told that perhaps the mailman changed. The new one may not have been as vigilant as the previous one. But I didn't notice that the bills stopped coming until it was too late either. Maybe I haven't been as vigilant as I had once been too. A series of messages sent to the wrong place and consequently never received. A set of misunderstandings that built up and ultimately culminated to a severe and sudden cut. For some things, nothing's more imperative than communication. After paying my dues over the phone, I was instructed to wait inside my apartment indefinitely until someone from PG&E gets a chance to come over. The sunlight was starting to fade and I was getting nervous. I’m unprepared and I find the dark scary and unsettling—bad combination indeed. I strongly hoped that the wait wouldn't be long. Electricity, where I grew up, came and went at the most inopportune times. I was taught early on about its value and I always had a constant level of appreciation for it. Nevertheless, faced with its absence, I was forced to fully realize how reliant and accustomed I’ve been to its presence and the endless benefits it brought. Even though I know I can survive without it, I recognize that the quality of my life will not be the same if it never returned. Luckily, right before twilight ended and darkness completely set, someone came through and restored what I had lost. Here's proof; gloom doesn’t last for eternity. I really need to remind myself of this more often. |
