On Heating, “Them” and Taking Responsibility

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This article was inspired by Jon Morrow’s post, On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas, on Copyblogger - thank you Jon and Jon’s Mom for your courage and determination.

It’s been 10 days since my furnace thermostat shot sparks and smoke at me and the furnace breathed it’s last breath. Once I determined that I didn’t need to call the Fire Department, I called my landlord. Or rather the Real Estate Agent.

I think a little background would be helpful here -

I’ve lived here for 2 1/2 years. In October my landlord lost the property in foreclosure. From October 5th until last Friday my landlord has been First Federal Bank of California, my rent gets paid to Ruzicka and Wallace, LLP the Asset Management Company and local a real estate agent is my property manager. Thanks to Tenants Together I found out that I can exercise my lease and stay until June 30, 2010. So life carried on pretty much normally.

Until the furnace died. That was on Monday - 10 days ago. Since then I have been on a roller coaster trying to get someone to take responsibility and get it fixed. I reached my boiling point last Friday. At 5:00 p.m I called the agent. He gave me some run around about how his contact at the bank has been tied up in meetings all day so he still doesn’t have official approval. I was so frustrated that I took it out on him. “How would you feel,” I asked, if this was your family?” “Do you want me to answer that,” he asked? “Yes,” I said. Then he went on about how they don’t have heat and have to use just a fireplace and it’s freezing. I don’t know if this is true or not but that’s not the point.

I don’t even know what I said after that. I was with a friend of mine and I remember sputtering something about the injustice of it all and how it’s just the principle of the thing. I was at my wits end at this point. I wanted to scream! To Sue! To Tweet! I have played by the rules. I paid my rent. What my landlord did with it? Well, she didn’t pay the mortgage, that is certain. Now I’m at the mercy of some bank employee who doesn’t give a hoot about me, my son or the fact that my nose and toes (and other assorted body parts) have been freezing for a week. I’m a victim here!

And that’s when I just stopped.

Victim?

Me?

Oh hell no!

And that’s when it hit me.

The bank is not responsible for my heat. The asset management company is not responsible for my heat. The Real Estate Agent is not responsible for my heat.

I am.

I forgot that for a moment.

My furnace does not work and I am fulfilling my commitment according to my lease to notify “them” when there is a problem with the property. Yes, California State Law does say that “they” are responsible for keeping the property “inhabitable” and that includes heat. So I suppose there are those who would say I am justified in my outrage, my incredulity and my whining. But the fact of the matter is, I am the one responsible for me.

And more importantly, I will not surrender that power to “them.”

So I borrowed a space heater for my Son’s room. I have one for myself. I stocked up on wood for the fireplace.

And then this past Monday the RE Agent called and said he had a verbal approval and was just waiting to get it in writing. But something in the conversation, I’m not sure what, had my radar going. So I turned to my old buddy Google and searched on the bank name. Wow! On Friday they were shut down by the FDIC. Another bank took them over. Ah, now I understand why I didn’t get approval on Friday. And why, in spite of a “verbal approval” on Monday, that here it is Wednesday and I still have no working furnace.

But it’s ok - my son’s room is warm, my space heater is keeping me warm and there is a lovely fire in the fireplace taking the chill off the house. And we’re fine. Because we choose to be. Not because someone else gave us approval.

This challenge isn’t anything near (and I’m a bit embarrassed to compare them) to what Jon has experenced. But it’s my challenge right now. And I am responsible.

And that sure does feel good!

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