forgot to pay the electricity bill

yesterday our electricity got turned off. we forgot to pay our electricity bill, and somehow failed to open the final notices, and well..whadya know, they actually WILL turn off your electricity if you don’t pay your bill 🙂

it was an extremely awakening experiencing, i’ve spent this entire semester writting, researching and getting to know the homeless community but I have never once had to experience what they go through on a daily basis (and also i know that going without electricity for one day is in no way comparable to living without shelter every day)…it was a major inconvenience. all of our food was ruined, and we spent over 50 dollars on buying candles and flashlights. Once the sun went down, i felt incapable of accomplishing anything.

What was I going to do without my t.v.? internet? light? alarm clock? all of these things that I took for granted suddenly became indespensible to me.

In The Working Poor, David Shipler tells the stories of the working poor of America, who live on the edge of poverty every day. All it takes is: one trip to the doctor, one broken down car, one lay off for millions of Americans to end up on the streets.

I know I will never know what it feels like to live on the edge, scared of evicition and lay offs, which means fininacial doom for their families…

I must remain aware that this is happening, it is so easy to ignore those being oppressed when I don’t have to make it my problem. Anyways, im rambling now, but basically what I am saying is that:

having good intentions isnt enough. We (those with privilege) have to be willing to give of our selves and give up some of our comfort in order that others might have a chance.

“The mystery of poverty is that by sharing in it, making ourselves poor in giving to others, we increase our knowledge of and belief in love.” Jim Wallis “Soul of Politics”(191)

sorry it has been so long.