disaster

today at work the power went out.  Luckily, it went out during our prep time and not during business hours.  It was still really weird.  We prep for two hours everyday before we open.  That's our secret.  Everything's fresh.  Prep time is also crunch time.  If someone comes in 15 minutes late the whole crew has to pitch in to help catch up on their duties or else we'll never open in time.  So there we are, we're all doing our normal thing, everyone trying to work as quickly and efficiently as possible to get our work done.  When everything blacks out an hour into prep.  Oh boy.  I immediately walk outside to find, it's not just our place but our whole shopping center.  Other people start coming out of the businesses too.  I walk to the end of the parking lot and look out onto the street.  Last time the power went out, a power line was flung onto the middle of our road like an electric snake.  It was very dangerous. 

All was quiet.  Hmmm, no one else seemed affected but us.  I looked across the street and noticed the electronic banner on the building was also out.  So us and them so far.  Louis and I go back inside.  The girls continue to work diligently, doing what they can.  Those of us that can't do anything, sit and wait.  The problem with electricity outages is, you never quite know when it's gonna come back up.  In an hour?  2?  4?  Days?  If it takes 4 hours for the power to come back on then, I might as well send everyone home and save the money on payroll.  I never know what to do in those kinds of situations.  So we hang tight for a while.  I act like I know what I'm doing (playing cool, like always) and let them continue to work as if the power might come on any minute now.  They finish their chores, doing what they can without electricity and then we sit and wait. 

Do you want to know a secret? 


I love it when this kind of stuff happens.  I love it when disaster strikes.  Well, let me clarify.  I love it when these things turn out to be harmless, and nothing and no one gets hurt.  You see when these surprises hit, you're forced FORCED to stop.  You have to stop scheming and going about your day and planning and you just have to stop.  You sit back, contemplate your present surroundings and just breathe.  Because what else can you do?  You wait.  I RELISH that kind of time.  I know I can do that without the power going out, or hurricane or tornado hitting but these are perfect excuses.  The perfect excuse to stop.  look around.  and examine your surroundings.  and breathe. 

Believe me, I'm not trying to minimize or belittle disaster but there are small blessings to be noticed when everything turns out okay.  When Hurricane Rita was coming and everyone was trying to evacuate Houston, Louis left for College Station.  Luckily his fiancee at the time had an apartment in College Station where he stayed.  He didn't have to go to work for a couple of days and we spent LOTS of time together.  We even baked bread.  He went to class with me and got to live in my world for a little while.  We had so much fun.  When Hurricane Ike hit Houston, that wasn't so fun because we were without A/C for so long and we had to take care of all our valuable food inventory which was really troublesome.  But we stayed for family for 2 or 3 days and just hung out and talked.  It wasn't an ideal situation but enjoyable nonetheless. 

We never take time to smell the roses.  To take a breathe.  To relax for a second as God reminds you that you are not on control.  He is sovereign over every circumstance.  It's kind of nice. 

Luckily for us, the power was only down for an hour.  When the lights came back on, we all kicked into overdrive but by then it was time to open.  Everyone pitched in and we got ready enough to open.  We finished everything, late but do-able.  The rest of the day ran smoothly.  No harm, no foul.  Best part was, I took a little breather.  Thank you Lord for your sovereignty and providence over us always.