I am once again trapped, powerless in my apartment. This late summer snow storm has brought substantial snow to the trees and branches along my street, those branches then collapsing under the weight of the snow, taking out the powerlines below. I happened to be awake last night when it happened here, the dimming flickering of my lights as the power grid tried in vain to keep itself connected, then the bright flash as the lines collapsed with the trees. I've been without power since.
This time, in addition to the usual challenges of the elevator and the front door not working, I have the added difficulty of not having my phone charged. It is about to die, taking away my only real link with the outside world. It's been working so far today; the battery will likely give out in the next few minutes. Then I will be dependent on the kindness of friends and neighbours for all help and communication.
The kind of situation I now find myself in is not a new one for me; this has happened before, a power outage. It once again reinforces how much more limited my life is and has become. I can't just run across to Starbucks for a coffee and Internet access. I can't even go down the the front door to let someone in. My home care worker couldn't get in the building to help me with cleaning and exercises. Fortunately a friend brought me coffee from Tim's; I took the risk of throwing the keys down to him, selfsame keys landing in a snowbank where he had to dig them out. It worked.
Time has now passed. Power has returned. People can come and go. I am writing this last part of my post at the end of my day, a day in which I mostly stayed in bed. After all, when there is nothing you can do, sleep seems like the best idea.
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