The day I almost blew myself up. My son was in surgery. Normally I would be in the hospital, but with the COVID rules one of us had to wait outside. Fortunately they let us play tag team so if one of us came out, the other could go in. The lady at the door was taking names and paying attention. I figured it was going to be a long day and it would mean hours of waiting outside so we took the RV with us. I put the generator in the back, that way, I could run the AC and work on my computer while I waited. We stayed at an RV park about 8 miles from the hospital in Frisco so we could join him for check-in.
We arrived for the surgery and took turns waiting outside while the hospital process proceeded. My plan was working perfectly. I did not even need the generator because the air was cool. The hospital gave us texting updates, we waited until he was ready in recovery and then got to go see him, still taking turns. Late in the day, the air had gotten hot, my computer was down to 4% and I needed the generator. The generator is heavy, so I pulled it to the edge of the truck bed so that there was lots of air around it and kicked it on.
The AC worked great, my phone and computer were restored and charging and I kept working. After about an hour the generator hesitated. I thought it needed more gas. I went out to check. I circled the truck bed and realized in an instant that I was in serious danger. I had not paid close enough attention to the direction or the proximity of the exhaust to the gas container. The heat had melted the red plastic. The heat had expanded the liquid inside. The pressure had split the side and gas was spraying out in a fine pressurized mist toward the generator. I expected it to explode.
I dashed around the front, touched the button to turn off the generator and then retreated. I waited. The gas kept spraying. I dashed forward and in one quick motion grabbed the gas container and set it outside the truck and ran further away. I waited. A fine jet of gas filled the area. I waited, the gas kept spraying. I ran and got the red demon and took it further away from everything and tried to wrestle off the top, but the pressure was too great. I pushed the nozzle. Gas erupted like a fire house and then stopped. “Great” I thought, “the pressure was released.” I retreated and watched. The gas geyser returned.
I did this over and over, release the pressure, watch the pressure return. Finally, I was able to get the top off. Then I waited for about 30 minutes. My heart was pounding, my hands smelled of gas, somehow I had averted an explosion. Looking back on it I made so many mistakes. I should have checked the gas can location, I should have called for help, I should have stayed a long way away. A thing, a truck, an RV were not worth the risk of burns and worse. I put this in the category of one more thing that COVID cause this year. I just wanted to be near my son.
It has been so hard all year to know the right things to do. Sometimes we have gotten it right, sometimes we have gotten it wrong. I hope people will give us grace and help us rebuild our church. Let’s not COVID take one more thing away from us, let us be near each other.