I should have seen it coming. It all started yesterday afternoon when the lights in my house began to randomly flicker and dim.

Now I am sitting here in the dark desperately trying to finish this column before my laptop battery dies.

Not one person in my family decided to do anything about the flickering lights yesterday, and now we are stuck without electricity completely.

The lesson here is twofold. The first major lesson I have learned from this experience, as I sit in the dark, is to heed life’s warnings.

Most of the time in our lives, bad situations are preceded by warnings. When your check engine light has been on for the last six months; that is a warning. When your boyfriend or girlfriend says “We need to talk,” that is a warning. When your doctor tells you to eat healthier or when you get a bad grade on a test, consider yourself warned.

We have to realize and be aware when life gives us these warnings. If we don’t, bad situations will blindside us all the time.

The other thing I have learned from this experience is that we must be proactive in responding to these warnings.

I thought my mom would call my dad and tell him what was going on, so he could call the electrician. Somehow my mom thought she told me to call my dad who assumed that either my mom or I had called the electrician by the time he got home.

To make a long story short, nobody called the electrician until today and he isn’t coming until tomorrow.

The only reason we are stuck in this situation is because nobody was proactive. We all sat back and expected everyone else to take care of the problem.

Don’t always assume that someone else will fix the problem, because in most cases, they are thinking you will fix it.

So be aggressive, be proactive and be the first attempt to fix the problems you encounter in your life. Too often I’ve found that if I don’t fix my problems, no one does. Then my problems only get worse.

As I sit here with my room illuminated with the soft glow of my computer screen, I realize one other thing. No matter what our problems are, we always have other people to help us through them. I’m not sitting here in the dark, alone. My family is here too.

OK, it’s a stretch of an analogy but it’s especially true in life. No matter what we face we always have someone to ride it out with. Friends, family, whoever it may be, don’t take for granted the people that are there to help you out.

Many times these people have been through similar experiences in life and can lend important advice that will help you through your problem.

So, make an effort to avoid getting into sticky situations in your life by recognizing the warning signs and being ready to act when these warnings come along. In the event that you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, remember those who are there for you.

I hope I was able to shed some light on the subject, and that I was clear and concise, not leaving anyone in the dark. OK, I need to stop. My laptop is almost out of power.