Varia: Unexpected Valued Trivialities

Yesterday around mid-day (when it is usually the hottest),we had a two-hour blackout. I was not aware of any early notification of the blackout. At the time, I was working on my laptop and since I have been putting off purchasing battery for my laptop, just to make sure my pension pay is enough until the next pay. Thus, the work went unsaved. Blackouts are pretty rare here and the last time we had one was they were installing electrical lines at thr site of a soon-to--be constructed private hospital nearby (see the crane in the picture below).

Speaking about blackouts, I was reminded about the almost weekly blackouts when I was in Bintulu yarns ago since the electrical supply was unstable back then and it was a newly developed campus.I was given a room in an empty hostel block over which I was supposed to be the residential fellow. So for a full semester, I had many nights there alone in the dark. Some were even mentioning that I must be that brave to stay there. In another semester, my block had students in them and another block was empty. During the time, I had another fellow from the empty block came to stay with me as he got uncomfortable all alone in the block (what more if there is a blackout). Unfortunately the person gets bossy over in my place and I had very little privacy. After a while, I had to tell him off and asked him to move out. It was unpleasant for me to do so and I tend to 'justify' my action, thinking over it now, that even in Prophetic tradition our obligations to put up guests is for three days (see here). May Allah forgive if I was really unkind.

Another thing that happened yesterday was a crane parked alog our street and the city council had decided to do some tree pruning. Again, there was no notification as far as I am aware. So the street was blocked and we had to delay our going out (for an outside appointment).

Perhaps some lessons of all these trivialities (that I wish I can convey to my sons), there are always unexpected things that can happen in our lives. One just need to be patient in putting up with all of these.