PERSPECTIVE

It’s all a matter of perspective. Life, I mean. Or more specifically, everything IN life. Let me illustrate.

Right now, I am living without central heat or hot running water in my house. Four weeks ago today I discovered I had a leak in one of my gas lines. The gas company turned off the gas to my house, and I called a local handyman, who came over, promptly located a broken gas line running to an outdoor gaslight in my front yard that I have never used in the 9+ years I’ve lived here, and capped it for me.

I was so excited! I called the gas company, and they came very quickly to reconnect my gas. However, after two tests, the gas man told me NO CAN DO, YOU STILL HAVE A LEAK.

Of course, he had no way of knowing WHERE the leak is, but he couldn’t turn my gas back on. He told me I will have to find and fix the leak, then have the city do an inspection for safety purposes. Once I pass their safety inspection, they give me something called a “green ticket,” and once I am in possession of that prize, then and only then will the gas company come out and turn me back on!

My handy dandy handyman told me my gas lines are ancient and it would be a good idea to just replace them all. He said that would run somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000. Scenes from “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long suddenly began running through my head.

So I am discovering that three tiny well-placed space heaters can keep me from freezing, and that heating water on my [thankfully electric] stove and putting it in a 5-gallon bucket, which I then set inside the bathtub, can keep me clean. Of course, it is kind of poignantly ironic to sit in that nice, deep Jacuzzi tub with the jets all the way around and bathe out of a bucket; but at least I’m staying clean.

Now lest you start feeling TOO sorry for me, let me assure you that this is a temporary situation. I think the first handyman is actually a bit lazy and wasn’t very interested in doing too many more relatively small jobs around my house. I’ve already located another one who is more of a go-getter, and had I not come down with a horrible head cold, I would have spent this past weekend digging and poking around in my yard to locate the other gas leak so handyman number 2 could come fix it for me. I suspect it’s emanating from the other non-functional gaslight located in my BACK yard. At any rate, before much longer, all will be restored to normalcy around my place, and life will go on pretty much as it always has.

With one difference. I will be ever more cognizant of, and grateful for, the modern conveniences with which my life is rife! At various points, I’ve lived for short periods of time without electricity, without running water, without heat, and without air conditioning. I’ve experienced lots of time in the past without a washer and dryer, and I’ve never had an automatic dishwasher. For most of my life, there were no such things as cell phones or computers, and my son and I even managed to survive for a couple of months one time without a car.

I try to make it a point to be grateful every day. I look around at the relative luxury in which I reside, and I thank the powers that be. I don’t enjoy heating water on the stove to wash dishes or take a bath, but I’m dreadfully grateful that I have the stove and the electricity and the water. And the dishes. And the food to eat that got the dishes dirty.

What must it be like to have no heat at all, or no running water, or no house for shelter, or no food to eat, let alone dishes to put it on? What must it be like to huddle against a dumpster trying to get out of the cold wind so you can hopefully make it through one more night? What must it be like to burn with hunger and have no idea when or if that will ever end? What must it be like to hear your baby cry and be powerless to give him what he needs?

Oh, yeah … I’m pretty damn lucky. See? All a matter of perspective.