Challenged to consume less

Bloom where you are planted. 

~ Saint Francis de Sales

Last Friday, our challenge with an ice storm began. As ice accumulated on all outdoor surfaces, the cracking and thumping of trees and branches breaking and falling became constant throughout the night.

My husband had been away skiing and would fly back the next day.

At 2:30 AM Saturday, we lost power, which we have yet to recover. Fortunately, we have a propane-powered generator. But, learning the extent of the damage outdoors, with trees hanging over or entangled in power lines, I knew it might be a while before electrical power was restored. The generator would have to be relied upon sparingly. We had to embrace spending more time living off the grid.

I woke up to a large tree lying across the driveway. My husband was determined to get home while he had a chance. The storm was in remission. It would resume later that day. He had a large and heavy load to unload - a massive IKEA wardrobe to assemble. I had to clear the way so he could park near the house.

On a positive note, everything looked SO beautiful, especially the curtains of ice-covered branches draping the roadways.

I attached anti-slip cleats to my boots and ventured out to move the tree. The porch, stairs and driveway were all covered in a layer of glistening and bumpy ice. It was too slippery to navigate, even with cleats. I switched to snow shoes which were only slightly better. 

The pine needles from the fallen tree had iced onto the driveway. There was no way I was going to be able to clear this.

Feeling defeated, I started to walk back into the house, but the thought that we do hard things mobilized me back into action.

I peeled and broke one branch at a time and slid the tree off the driveway. The fresh pine scent was blissful and lingered on my outerwear. The tree would not have budged without the icy surface underneath. It was too heavy.

Feeling elated I ventured further into the road, only to find it littered with more trees and branches. I had to move those off to the side as well. 

There are only a few of us wintering in our remote cottage road. Unbeknownst to me, another neighbour and his son simultaneously worked tirelessly to remove debris and create access for neighbours and emergency vehicles. We are fortunate.

Many other locals were trapped, unable to drive anywhere. One neighbour had a massive tree fall straight down her driveway. It was miraculous that the vehicles on either side were damage-free.

It was she who shared the quote about blooming where we are. As we experience a difficult situation, we require more grit, surrender, and gratitude to prosper.

Another couple in the late eighties, the wife relying on an oxygen machine to breathe, the husband dependent on a catheter for urination, had a medical emergency just before the storm. Although the afflicted gentleman got to a hospital, he could not get a ride home. A cab driver refused to drive him when he found out where he lived. In the end, he spent the night on a stretcher in the hallways of the hospital. The next day, two police vehicles drove him home. Without a generator and a sufficient supply of propane, food, thoughtful neighbours and emergency assistance, this elderly couple could not survive here.

On Wednesday, I called our local Canadian Tire store to enquire about a product. Before I even uttered a word, the customer service person said, “I’m sorry. We do not sell generators.” 

Sadly, there are a lot of people worse off than we are.

Closing thoughts

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

~ Napoleon Hill

Since moving here in 2020, we have learned to stock up on all necessities and become savvy shoppers. 

Given we can't just pop out to the local grocery store, we are more creative in food production, substituting missing ingredients with whatever we have. 

We have also become cold-adapted.

We are grateful for the opportunity to become more resilient - to bloom where we have been planted.

Just as plants challenged by adversity produce chemistry for their preservation, so too do we prosper when embracing discomfort. We become anti-fragile or hardier. 

Nevertheless, we recognize that wintering in a less remote location will not only increase self-sufficiency as we age but facilitate helping more people over the long term.