The lights went out
Just as darkness was approaching yesterday afternoon the electricity supply in the house disappeared. Suddenly there was no power, no lighting and no heating. And it is mid-winter here on the UK’s south coast. And it is dark here from about 4 pm until nearly 8 am. And it is quite cold at night.
There I was, sitting at the desk, desk-lamp on, happily preparing my session for today’s NLP Master Practitioner training programme. Suddenly, and with a little sigh, the PC closed down, the screen went black, the desk-lamp went off, and everything became quiet. Very quiet indeed. We had lost power.
Panic stations
I tried switching things off and on. Tried the fuse board. Checked to see if the neighbours had also lost power (they hadn’t). And then realised that apart from the gas hub everything else was electrically powered! We were completely dependent on that one source – for heat, hot water, lighting, computer power – even my laptop was almost out of charge!
And at just after 4 pm on Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck the chances of getting an electrician to arrive before 5.30 PM and sort things out didn’t look too promising. Fortunately the owner of nearby Scoles Manor, where we hold some of our courses, recommended a local electrician – A R Harris of Swanage. I phoned them.
Within 20 minutes the doorbell rang – they’d arrived. Within 5 minutes they’d solved the issue. Light, power, and hope returned. I was relieved and elated.
All your eggs in the same basket
This week’s Pegasus NLP Newsletter is about the vulnerability of being overly dependent – of not spreading your bets.
We can be vulnerable if we have just one or two friends, or are completely devoted to the family or, if you work for yourself, having just one main source of income.
The solution is to diversify. To value the comfort, the benefits of having lots of eggs in one basket. But to also recognise that this can be a vulnerable situation to be in.
It may even be a good idea to not be too dependent on one source of power – such as electricity… or, importantly, on one source of income…
Hi Reg.
I didn’t know I had all my eggs in one basket until I retired. I can confirm that finding an empty basket is rather uncomfortable. However… where there is awareness there can be a SMART goal. It has been satisfying for me investing in my goal and changing what looked like a bleak and lonely future… still working on it and off to the Artic Circle next month!
Alison king
Hi Alison
Yes, it’s interesting how the Comfort Zone thing and complacency can sneak up on us. Though, in your case, the Arctic Circle suggests that you’ve taken the message/signals on board in earnest!
Enjoy the trip – wouldn’t it have been better to go in the summer so you could actually see things… 🙂
Reg
Oil lamp on the Edwardian sideboard at the ready, candles on the mantlepiece. Pen and paper at the ready. My laptop was also in use when it decided enough was enough. Solution remove the hard drive and take it in a temporary case to the library to get printing done.
I have like many others succumbed to the comfort of central heating warming the whole house. Last week there was a problem caused by a visitor switching the wrong switch and the boiler malfunctioning. My daughter was able to put it right that evening(she is a qualified gas fitter). Meantime electric fans were used in the rooms I needed to be in and the fire in the sitting room came into use. She warned me there is an urgent need to look at replacing the boiler as there is a slight leak. This will not be easy.
My income is very limited, though coming from two baskets, pension and renting a property. The tenant has just left leaving a complete wreck behind. I need to look again at the way the property is rented. Formerly it has been furnished. Now I have to look at clearing the furniture quickly to avoid the expence of Council Tax and clean and decorate before I can arrange letting it in a different way. Currently I am researching the Housing Law that I need to comply with, Updated legislation means I have to get an energy assessment done and make arrangements for a deposit scheme to receive the deposit from a new tenant, this I already knew.
The circumstances, including the recent heavy snows, have prompted me to look at the arrangements that I have in place and to think about the alternatives available. I am looking at different ways of letting and different avenues for attracting tenants.
Darwin concluded that it is not the largest nor the strongest that survive but the ones that can adapt.
I am guessing that you did not sit around Macawber like waiting for something to turn up, the electrician, but used the time to do something useful.
Hi Margaret
Sounds like you’ve had a busy and ‘challenging’ time. From what friends tell me, when letting of property you need to either do it through an agency (who will take about 10% – but will keep an eye on things) or do-it-yourself and aim to visit at least monthly.
No, I didn’t sit around waiting though I didn’t have much time to wait in any case. Looked around for our “power cut” box of emergency supplies only to find that it had long since been cannibalised – five years without a power cut produced complacency! And then started collecting stuff – burt was, happily, interrupted by the arrival of the electrician.
And, no, have not re-stocked the “power cut” box – forgot – until this minute 🙂
Reg
Apologies: I have just discovered that comments were identified as spam – so were patiently sitting in the spam folder and waiting to be deleted!
I recommend this approach for those seeking work (particularly if currently unemployed). I’ve experienced in the past of placing all my hope on one job when invited for an interview. Lets face it, the work required to prepare assists in building hope, only to be dashed when not chosen, followed by demotivation, despiration and loss of self esteem.
The way to overcome this is to keep going with applying for other jobs even when you think you’ll get offered one. It keeps momentum going, keeps good practice and keeps the work ethic. It also has the potential to provide choice
Hi Marty
Yes, applying for lots of jobs also means we’re more likely to have a number of options to choose from. And, this in turn, means we can be more selective in deciding which option to go for.
Just as importantly, when we have lots of irons in the fire we’re less likely to come across as desperate for a particular job. Being keen and enthusiastic is one thing – ands is welcomed byu interviewsers. Being ‘desperate’ doesn’t impress.
Reg
Apologies for the delay: we’re having trouble with comments being perceived as spam!