Zero Usage — Patrick Hatt

Day by day. Meter by meter. That was my life for years. But then I came across a meter that read zero usage. If only I hadn't read that meter. If only smart meters had gotten in sooner. If only my fair-weather vehicle hadn't broken down. If only could be my life story. Instead, I have this story to tell. It is a story of survival. It has psycho, murdering, drug dealers, a cannibal or three, some alien wannabes, and plenty of nature. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I could never have guessed the sheer level of crap I would have to go through just from setting out to read crummy meters. And as much as I think about the what ifs, there are a few reasons I'm glad it happened. Those reasons stayed by my side through it all. Without those reasons I never would have survived to share this tale. And survive we did and will. No matter the crap thrown at us by something like a simple read of zero usage.