There are two rules of thumb that get me through the day:
Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Then there is the one I adopted from a co-worker, I’m glad I’m not you and I’m glad I don’t live with you.
The first one was said more than a few times to my children when they were growing up. The 9pm I have a project due tomorrow and I need supplies. I was the mom that did not rush out and get them. They had weeks to do those projects. It was a hard lesson, but they learned it.
Yesterday I received a call from a customer that neither of those applied to, well I didn’t want to be her or live with her but I do believe you get my gist.
The story I am going to relate to you does not give her personal information or anything else that could indicate who she is.
She called in very upset, and began to tell me a tale that was incredible.
She said that there had been a fire at her home, several homes in the neighborhood. She said that she was working when she heard a knock on the door, it was her mail carrier. Her mail carrier told her your house is on fire. She said what, no, it’s not, I think I’d know that. She said come outside and sure enough the back of the house was on fire. She rushed back in to grab her sleeping child and rushed outside.
She called 911, she was the first one to call, they showed up within minutes. They discovered the source of the fire, the neighbor had an illegal fire pit and was burning wood illegally in her backyard. The fire got away from her and went up the utility pole, then spread out to several neighbors to the side of her and the back. My customer lives behind her, she then went into her home and watched Rome burn from her window.
My customer said the fire marshal determined where the fire had begun and literally cussed the neighbor out. I’m sure there will be charges, to make matters worse said neighbor told other neighbors MY customer had started the fire.
She was very emotional, understandably so, she said it was only God that had saved her and her child. Her mail carrier normally comes between 4 and 8 pm, that day she came around 11am.
How crazy is that!! Who does that! This could have totally turned into a Paradise situation. I cannot even begin to imagine setting fire to everything and then going into my house and watching the chaos ensue.
When my customer told me her story I literally got goosebumps. I could see the hand of God in this story, sending the mail carrier earlier, alerting the occupant of the home. The neighbor didn’t even bother to call 911, seriously crazy.
Anyway, I was able to help her, with a lot of help from other departments and a coworker that is as tenacious as I when it comes to getting things done.
I am confounded by people, to endanger the lives of others around you is insanity.
I hope you have a good day, I hope you all make good choices and don’t burn your neighborhoods down.
Angie World 