There's No Place Like Home

What a week!

I took part in a secret mission earlier this week. i would love to talk about it but I can't...under penalty of death....namely my own! I got the job done and I did it without too much interference from my heath or lack of it.

Is it bad that I prefer that some people think I'm lazy instead of sick? In my case, it is the way I approach certain people. It makes for peace in my world.

I got home Friday completely exhausted from my endeavors. I was ready to collapse and sleep for at least the rest of the day to recuperate. I kicked back on my bipap machine and played a few rounds of Words and was ready to go to sleep when the power went off in my building.

It had not even started to storm yet, or so I thought. Now a normal person would just go ahead and go to bed in that situation but if there is no power then I have no oxygen machine. So that means that I have to find power.

I had all my meds in my purse anyway because of the previously mentioned secret mission so I went to my truck and I was surprised when I went outside that the wind was blowing so hard that it took all my strength to walk to my truck. I thought for a second I wasn't going to get to my truck. That part was fun!

I made it to the truck and left to go see if Eddie had power. The stop lights were out at every intersection and it had just started to rain. By the time I made it halfway across town the rain was coming down in torrents and I could hardly see the road in front of me. One railroad crossing sign (the heavy iron ones) was down in the road and I had to drive around it and the stoplight in front of Eddie's house was throwing sparks all over the place as I passed under it.

I haven't seen a storm like that since I left Florida in 1995! The sideways lightning and unrelenting thunder and rain reminded me of a hurricane or even a tornado since I had been through one of those once as well.

I knocked on Eddie's door and he opened it and said, "What in the world? Get in here." I told him I had no power and he knows what that means for me so he told me to get some rest. (he also knew about my secret mission) He had company smoking in his living room so I had to go to his bedroom.

He told me his company was leaving and I told him to stop her because nobody had any business out in that weather. So they visited while I slept in the bedroom until she left a couple of hours later. I stayed the night. When I got up early Saturday I went home thinking the power would be on. It wasn't. So I loaded up all my frozen food and went back to Eddies. At this point I still thought the power failure was just in Charleston. I didn't know the whole state of WV was in a state of emergency.

I didn't find out about that until almost noon and I almost panicked because that meant that someone I had been helping was in severe distress with on one to help her. (back to my secret mission) I got on the phone and go someone to check on her. Her power was back on so everything was ok but she had no power the whole night. It was more of an emergency for her than it was me but I had no idea of her situation.

Anyway she's ok and I'm ok. I am completely and totally worn out though. I fully intend to sleep through tomorrow and maybe the next day as well. This little emergency would have been bad enough if I had been 100% when it started but I was already drained. Thanks to Eddie for making a bad situation bearable. It was hard on him because I tend to drain people's energy when I'm doing good. When I'm sick then it is a tough road for anybody around me. My health needs just have too many requirements for many people to tolerate.

There are lines for gas everywhere around here. People are panic buying. You have to have cash. The ATM's aren't working. Police, ambulance, firemen and national guard are everywhere doing what they can. The best think people can do is stay home and it is 100 degrees plus.

If it had not been for Eddie I would have had to go to an emergency cooling station. Some have power for people with oxygen machines and they are open around the clock. I am thankful to have him for a friend and I am thankful that he had the power and the inclination to help me.

I am thankful to be back home too.