*** Article: Every Day That The Furnace Works Is A Good Day – By AlanDetwiler ***

"The things that make our lives better -- our homes, food, clothing, andour families -- should make us feel good by just knowing we have them. Butthose important things likely have been a part of our lives for a longtime. Human nature turns our attention away from the familiar. So weseldom feel very happy about what we have. But if something important tous is taken away and then is somehow recovered, we feel joy andappreciation.Too bad we humans can't feel so fortunate about things before they aretaken away. How great we would feel about our health, our abilities tomove around, our mental abilities to reason and remember, and the numerousother things that are out of our minds just because we take them forgranted. Shouldn't we make 'asset awareness' a higher priority in ourlives? What better way is there to get more out of life? That little bitof wisdom would make us happier if we could just get ourselves to put itinto practice.My furnace stopped working late one evening last winter when thetemperature outside was heading toward the lower twenties overnight. Therewould not be a furnace repair shop open at that time of day. I have quitea few tools, am mechanically inclined, and have some knowledge of how thefurnace works. So I went down into the basement and started removing thepump/blower assembly from the oil-burning furnace so it could beinspected. When the mounting bolts were removed and the assembly takenout, several small pieces of shattered plastic could be seen lying at thebottom of the combustion chamber. The plastic shaft linking the motor tothe oil pump had shattered into many small pieces. There would be no heatin the house overnight and probably a good part of the next day.The temperature in the house had dropped into the lower 60s around 8 p.m.when I noticed the furnace was not coming on, as it should. By 10 p.m.when I had discovered the root cause, it was in the mid 50s. Fortunately,I have a lot of extra blankets. I took three, folded each in half for atotal of six extra layers and put them on the bed. I put on a coat, asecond pair of pants, heavy socks, a knit hat, and knit gloves and went tobed.I was quite comfortable that night. The next morning, the temperature inthe house was 48 degrees F. I was dressed warmly and was reasonablycomfortable as long as I kept moving quickly and didn't slow down. Theurge to stay warm felt like an overpowering concern. A call to the nearestfurnace repair shop (about 10 miles away) gave me the good news that areplacement part was in stock. The $12 price seemed like a real bargain toget back a heated home again. Just after noon I had completed the repairjust in time to eat lunch as the house warmed up to the balmy 68 degreeswhere the thermostat was set. What luxury!We have so much. We heat our homes. We provide ourselves with food andother necessities. We have many luxuries and creature comforts. Every oneof those good things should be celebrated and enjoyed. All of what we haveis special -- the newly acquired, the familiar, the big/important things,and the little things. It is special to be able to prepare a plate of foodfor supper, take it out into the yard, and sit down in the sun and eat it.If that doesn't seem special, visit a nursing home (most of us will livein one some day). Most of the residents there are wheelchair bound. Theyeat in their rooms or in a large dining hall with other residents. Thoseare their only two choices.When I walk out onto my lawn with my plate of food, I am going to enjoyit. I hope I always remember -- every day that the furnace works is a goodday.

About the Author: Alan Detwiler writes about things to do to have fun.

His website is http://www.leisureideas.com