So, about 10 days ago, while we were away, the boiler stopped working and there was no hot water or heating. As you can imagine, it’s hard to try and fix something like that over the phone so I just told the kids to use the gym showers and put an extra layer on, until we got back.
On the Sunday, when the gas / plumber came out, he identified the problem, which was, the fan was broken and so the boiler wouldn’t light. A great safety feature but not helpful, right now! I also found out that the emersion heater was not working due to a faulty plug but if I changed it, at least we’d have hot water again. So, off to B&Q I went, I changed the plug and, voila, the water started to heat.
It took all week to get a new fan but on Friday the boiler was working again and the house was starting to warm up. The interesting bit about this experience, an experience we have all had, no doubt, was that I was suddenly very appreciative of the system working again. Something I think I took for granted, until it stopped working. This made me think of how, potentially dismissive, I was when the kids were moaning at me about being cold.
I did say “Put an extra layer on, you’ll be fine” but, when I spent last week putting extra layers on and trying to work from home myself, it was awful and I was cold, through to my bones. This has given me a renewed sense of empathy for those people on TV who are struggling with the cost of living and making a choice of “eating or heating”. It has also brought me closer to the plight in the Ukraine, where people are homeless and sleeping in cold conditions. In fact, I feel like a spoilt, privileged, working class moron! How can I moan about anything? I have a house, work, can eat and life is, most of the time, good.
We only spent 10 days without heating and the tension was high, the moaning was unbearable and we didn’t really like being at home. The war in the Ukraine has hit the 1 year marker and it looks like it will go on for a while yet. With over 8,000 people dead and a further 13,000 injured, I can’t help asking the question – Why, what for?
41,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake in Turkey, in less than a month, and the survivors are homeless, grieving lost ones and trying to rebuild their lives.
My heating goes down and I think my life is difficult, it just puts things into perspective! When I reflect on the things that stress me out, upset me or make life a little uncomfortable, they pale into insignificance in comparison. Not that I think I shouldn’t express my discomfort, but I just need to appreciate what I do have and deal with what I don’t have.
Having the ability to be resilient, is a human trait and you see it in abundance when things like the war and the earthquakes push ‘normal’ people into survival mode. This should be a short term experience as we are not designed to ‘just survive’ we all need more as it protects our mental health and feeds our souls. I don’t believe anyone should ‘just survive’ as life is about thriving and enjoying as many moments you can.
I hope and pray that the war is brought to a halt and that the world supports Turkey, to re-build, sooner rather than later.
Enjoy your week, appreciate your life (Even if it’s not perfect) and have empathy for those who are just surviving at the moment. Sometimes “Just put another layer on” is not the right response!