“It’s a Norwood Thing”

“It’s a Norwood thing.”

I’ll admit I was not quite as prepared for the arrival of Irene as I thought.

Yes I made a quick trip to the grocery store Friday afternoon to pick up a few necessities. I made sure Joey’s pitch-back, his bicycle and scooter were safely put in the cellar Saturday morning and the soccer balls and wiffle ball bats that took up residence on our back deck all summer were placed back in their respective bins in the back hall so as to not become an airborne arsenal - potentially breaking an innocent neighbor's window.

Patio chairs were folded and tucked away and the hanging plants on our front porch were placed in the back corner, safely on the ground. No one wants to see bright clusters of pink and white flowers in large green baskets fly by their living room window or spatter on their car’s windshield.

For all of my preparations in keeping my neighbors safe from soaring toys, bicycles and plants, I forgot some very important things... flashlights, batteries and candles.

What does a girl do when a natural disaster is about to hit and she finds herself without back up lighting and a child who isn’t too keen on the dark? I called my mother of course.

Clearly my mother has been weathering all sorts of storms much longer than I have - life, Mother Nature and parenting - and was fully prepared for Irene’s arrival, as she is prepared for everything (now I understand why she buys everything in bulk, it makes for a much more relaxing life).

My mother informed me she had been to Wal-Mart when the store opened earlier that morning, at 8:00 a.m. (I, on the other hand, was still sleeping at the time and really began to feel like the child again). She said they were out of every flashlight, low on candles and there was not a size D battery in sight. She also said the shelves of CVS, Shaws, Rite Aid and Ace Hardware were bone dry, but not to worry I could borrow a few of her candles and she had an extra flashlight.

Grateful for the offer (and back up plan), I was determined to redeem my self and got in my car, figuring I would easily find a few batteries and some candles. I was not giving up hope.

So there I was, utterly embarrassed I might add, walking the aisles of Rite Aid, Hannaford, the Dollar Tree and Ace Hardware in search of batteries, flashlights and candles along with many other self-conscious souls Saturday afternoon.

This is where the humor and connection that is Norwood comes in, or maybe it was just a shared awkwardness. I was having conversations with complete strangers as we were helping each other find sources to light our homes should we lose power - and laughing because we were mortified that as parents we were not fully prepared.

People were splitting packages of batteries, making suggestions of stores that might have flashlights and even offering extra candles and flashlights they purchased earlier.

I bumped into an old friend at the Dollar Tree where I bought the last four, pitifully small, candles. My old friend informed me there might be a flashlight in Ace Hardware but not to worry because he had plenty if I needed one.

I decided to try my luck at Ace. Upon entering the store I bumped into a woman whose name I don’t know, but we spent about twenty minutes laughing while looking through the display located at the front of the store - teeny, tiny flashlights, camping lanterns and even bunson burners were apparently all that was left. Suddenly my old friend appeared from one of the aisles with two LED flashlights in hand. I took one and gave one to the woman I had just met, then began the search for batteries. The clerk informed us the store had been sold out of batteries since Thursday. My faced turned a bright red as the embarrassment set in again, and I said, “I guess I should have paid more attention to the weather.”

That is when my old friend handed me two small flashlights, complete with batteries and said. “This is all you need. This is Norwood, we never lose power for more than a few hours, it isn’t like we have to wait hours for Edison. We have Norwood Light.” I thought for a moment and realized he was completely correct.

That is when I realized I wasn’t as unprepared as I initially thought. I had a few candles at home, I had a working flashlight with batteries, but as panic set in Saturday afternoon I thought I needed more, forgetting “this is Norwood” and I have never lost power.

The people who work at Norwood Light are absolutely incredible. I didn’t think about candles and flashlights probably because I knew in the back of my mind if I did lose power it would not be for long.

As I wrote this, the wind howled outside my window, toys and chairs tucked safely in my basement, and though my lights flickered, I still have light. I heard a few people in town lost power but the power was back on relatively soon because of the dedication of some pretty unbelievable men and women who were working out in the rain and wind, while we were tucked safely in our homes.

Norwood is a wonderful community of people as evidenced by perfect strangers and old friends helping each other Saturday and Sunday. But we also have extremely dedicated trained professionals at the Light Department, the Police Department and Fire Department who work around the clock to ensure our town is always safe, and they do so because they care about our community and the people in this town.

As my friend said, “It’s a Norwood thing.”

Be safe and thank you to all of the men and women who are working today, and everyday, to keep Norwood the safe community it is.