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When you are a writer, you want to write about everything, even those things others may consider not worth taking time to write about. An incident happened in my house and I took time to write a long Whatapp message to my wife and children about it.
The message is reproduced below so you don’t have to learn the hard way I did. It’s about water flooding the house, but it could be anything other thing that we all need to pay attention and avoid a disaster.
I learnt a hard lesson today about not responding to an unexpected sound, an indication that something might have falling or something might require my attention.
As usual, I was buried in one of those my endlessness writings and work on the Internet in the morning. Not even the information that food was ready could take me away from my seat as there were many things to be done about a fellowship programme I was planning for the next day.
At a moment, I remember hearing a faint sound of something dropping. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I just thought whatever it was, it can wait to be taken up. Maybe a cloth fell or something dropped from the table. It can wait I thought. But I later found out it was a big mistake that could have caused more grievous damage if I didn’t find out later than I did.
When I was done with my work, I wanted to take my bath before eating and heading out. I went to check the cloth ironed for me and the sight that greeted me in front of the bathroom was the last thing I expected.
No, no, I said to myself as I shook my head. It dawned on me that the sound I heard was of the water hose falling off when the water container in the bathroom was full.
Trust water to always find its way. It moved from the bathroom to your room and entered the next. It was half way in the visitor’s room when I arrived and I had to immediately run to the bathroom to pull off the hose.
No, Daniel, No Mummy, Dammy left about an hour earlier about an hour earlier and the enormity of the work required to scoop the water dawned on despite already running late for my appointment.
Long story short. I embarked on the ‘de-flooding’ of the bathroom and rooms that lasted for almost an hour. More than ten bowls of water scooped. Socked clothes, books, nylon, papers and others all over.
I didn’t want to take the pictures, but after seeing the dirt under the beds while scooping the water I did to remind us of the need to avoid dropping things that should be in the dustbin under the beds and tables.
In all things we should give thanks. Supposing I was the one that first left home. Supposing I didn’t check the rooms before leaving. Supposing, Supposing…
The lesson for me again; When anything requires my attention, check it out before deciding if it is urgent or not.
The lesson for all; don’t leave anything that could go wrong unattended home before leaving home, including switching off the lights, fan and other electronics.
If you have to leave before water could be filled up like in this case, shut the tap unless you have a firm promise of the person at home and you trust him not to forget himself or get carried away with what he or she is doing.
Some instances like this could be more devastating and the best thing is to avoid it by being alert to taking all necessary precautions.
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