Rolling into Gratitude

I roll over, turn on my phone, and check the weather in a dozen locations around the world.

Nothing shows up on my screen aside from the city names. I check my email. Nothing there since last evening or was it the middle of the night when I last checked it? My sleeping partner awakens and checks his. He has no new information either.

We turn on the tv to see what CNN has to say. Perhaps we can learn of the weather and whatever else in the world by watching them.

Ooops. One Moment Please is stated in all caps and bold print. This channel should be available shortly.

No other channels are available.

Now it dawns on us.

Communication channels are down. Are they down just here in Central Oregon? We can tell from the sounds outside, that parkway traffic is moving normally which means weather in our immediate vicinity is clear.

Has the east coast storm, the one describes as a cyclone before the increased plunging temperatures arrives, created an untenable weather situation? Fed Ex sent an alert to customers yesterday saying their deliveries might be delayed. They do not do that unless the situation is dire.

Then another and a most unpleasant thought begins to take hold. What if overnight, a terrorist, domestic or international group has brought down the communication channels? What if the rivalries between two emotionally challenged heads of state has gone one step too far and hit their nuclear buttons? What if?

Life in my immediate circle seems nearly serene. My partner is sipping his first cup of tea for the day after giving a rinse to last night’s dishes. The heated mattress pad warms my toes as I write. Air we breathe is clean. We’ve both had showers. A warm croissant with butter is waiting for me.

But no communication? What’s going on in the world that I don’t know about? Do I need to know more? What will be the result of all this?

I sit here in bed, writing my 500-word challenge, thankful for all the warmth and comfort I have. So many around us do not have such. A woman lives at the end of the lane in an old run down mobile home. The story is that she got into a disagreement with the electrical company three years ago and has not had electricity since. She has only a wood stove for heat and appears to have little money for wood.

Temperatures here are below freezing. I can hardly imagine how she survives, much as I admire her tenacity.

I have felt a bit homeless myself recently, going between renting my cabin to others, staying at a friend’s house for a week, being in several hotels and camping, then sleeping in my own rv and building a new unit on my own property. I’ve got lots of opportunities but many don’t have such.

I am so very thankful for all that I have.

In so many ways.