There’s a fuel shortage here. Actually, I haven’t been watching the news. It could all be over with now. There was some issue with the storage/delivery system and it had cause some stations to possibly not have enough fuel to supply the demand on any given day.

Driving back from my son’s Aikido this morning I noticed I was half-full and wondered to myself if I should top it up. What are the consequences of not topping up?

1) I could go to the station like normal and gas up like normal

2) I could go to the station like normal and they could be out in which case I would have to drive to the next station and maybe even the next until I could fulfill my need. This is not a problem near my house where there are 5 stations. This would be less advantageous around my work place. (note to self: have at least a quarter tank of fuel to assure I can get back before commuting to work)

3) I could run out of gas.

Now, here’s where my reflections took a deeper turn. My first year of university I ran out of gas 4 times. I was young and, what can I say, I wasn’t particularly interested in superfluous things like checking gauges. I also locked my keys in my car 6 times that first year. And over the first several years, I had many tire failures and even a new tire with a fault that exploded on me while driving. I have no idea how often I needed a boost.

I moved to Lafayette and didn’t know a single person there. There was no safety net. I was determined to do things my way. Things like running out of gas forced me to be a part of the local community. I relied on strangers. It was exciting in a way to be a part of life that way. After a few years I kept booster cables in my car and stopped whenever I saw someone needing help.

Also, not being a mom yet, I had no real concern for my personal well-being.  That helped too. I once ran out of gas on I-10 somewhere between Lake Charles and Lafayette in the middle of the night. On a Wednesday.

Here. Now. Things are different. I have layers of safety netting. It’s nice to know when I’m lost somewhere in the North or Downtown of Calgary I can call Desi or at least a dozen other people who can help me. On top of that I love my mechanic. We’re friends and I know he’d be there to help. (shout out to Scott at MRI Auto Care)

Only, I can’t help but wonder if I actually did run out of gas and was on the side of the road on Deerfoot Trail during rush hour… I might just start walking or wait to see who stops to help. I don’t know if I want my safety net to get in the way of meeting new people or being open to being a part of my community.

Maybe my life feels a little too safe right now.