In retrospect, the heating system splitting down on me was the best thing that could have happened.
It was what they call a “moment of clarity” or “a come-to-Jesus moment” depending on your religious beliefs.
I was snowbound in a remote lodge in the foothills, with no electricity or cell service. It would take afternoons at least before I could get out or anyone else could get in. The old lodge was sturdy, however drafty, and I needed some heat. The locale came equipped with an old natural gas heating system that required no electricity! Alas, the heating system was broken, so I had no means of keeping myself warm. There was a fireplace, and I found an ax, so I had to brave the chilly and trudge through the snow to split firewood. As I froze my nips off in the snow, tearing wood, I thought back to how I had consistently taken heating for granted; Every lake house I had ever lived in, or even visited, had central heating. I had consistently assumed that any time I needed warmth I could just twist the knob on the thermostat to get more comfortable. Those few afternoons in the lodge, consistently feeding the fireplace for some semblance of heat, legitimately changed my perspective. What else besides heating was I taking for granted? Clean water, fresh air, the availability of food? Unlike a oil furnace, I couldn’t just turn on the fireplace and walk away, I had to rest beside it and tend the fire consistently, by the time it was over I had lost a few pounds, and gotten a current perspective on life.