enlightened by a blackout

it is always interesting the variety of responses people have in different situations. whether it is a serious tragedy or a minor inconvenience, there is always a wide range of response. sometimes it is conditional and people may not react the same way to every situation - however, i think ultimately and for the most part our inherent nature will always rear itself in its truest form. there are a thousand quotes about adversity and showing true character, but i found some answers last night while experiencing what one may call a "minor catastrophe" 

at about 11:30 pm. gary and i were jarred from sleep by our barking dog, people outside talking, and car lights shining in our window.  after a minute or so we realized the electricity had gone out. not a big deal, especially in the middle of the night. however on a muggy night, with anticipation of waking up to another hot day - the small (very small) part of me that actually thinks ahead... started to panic. it was very mild panic, but enough to not let me go back to sleep right away. not to mention the creepy silence from everything being turned  off - no ac hum, no fridge or fan buzz - was hard to ignore. 

so how do people react in crisis? well in the microcosm of my neighborhood (obviously an excellent representation for the rest of society) this is what we had - 

a.  the aggressive alpha go-getters: meet my neighbors. within seconds they had car lights shining, cell phones in hand and cigarettes lit like emergency flares holding the philadelphia convention in the middle of the street. they were problem solving, hypothesizing, checking on people, and cursing the electric company. these people are going to protect the herd. i suggested that gary join them to see what was up, but he was clearly not breaking character....

b.the complete apathetic: meet gary: my man, my protector and my provider.......(ahem) the man  barely woke up enough to process the fact the electric was out. he did the most important thing first, though,  check for his iphone - and then crawled back into bed. being a hermit-vampire he was more than thrilled at the extra darkness he had going for his 10 hour snooze, but was somewhat annoyed that i didn't share his optimism...

c. the knee-jerk irrational: you guessed it - that's me! people can react irrationally at a variety of levels. some can get really extremist, start looting stores and shooting trespassers. i am your totally passive, friendly irrational. the irrational person wants to do something amid the crisis, but they aren't really sure what to do. for instance, i decided to logically start lighting about a dozen candles - because it was almost midnight and i really needed some good illumination?!?! well of course, how can you clean in the dark? that's right. i tidied up our disgusting house, because in the event of a blackout someone might need to stop by for a cup of sugar  and i just can't have them think we live like pigs (my mother would be so proud). other more aggressive irrationals are going to aim a gun in your face - i just may shoot you with a spray of fresh linen febreeze. 

so to recap - when in a catastrophe, you should probably not call on the thomas family, we are useless. gary will be busy setting the alarm for noon on his iphone and i will only be able to give you tips on how to clean house by candle light and a fisher price dinosaur flashlight that roars every time you turn it on....

oh and a shout out to the dog, Gunner, who after taking on 'go-getter' personality and waking up the family, promptly laid in the floor and slept the rest of the night (Gary may hate that dog, but they are brothers separated at birth when it comes down to it...)