Insurance

The things that have happened to me (or I have made happen) where insurance was very handy thank you very much:

1) House fire in Dunedin - flatmate (what a retard) left the embers from the fire in a plastic bag on the lounge floor. While we slept the house burned. Lives saved by the lounge door being shut. If door had been open, smoke would have likely killed us in our sleep. Insurance paid for my damaged household contents. Uninsured flatmate spent days cleaning layers of thick black soot off his dinner plates and wine glasses. Any spare time was spent saying sorry to me.

2) House flood in Sumner. I was pregnant with T in 2000 when the rains came down and floods went up. I sat on the steps of Roger and Lisa's house which we rented and watched the water pour in. Insurance paid for our damaged household contents.

3) T needed grommets. 6 month waiting list to go through the public system. Great if you're 63 and have already learned to speak, but at 3 it's kinda important to be able to hear. Thank you Mr. Sovereign.

4) House fire on the Esplanade - woman who lived there (what a retard) accidentally pulled the pantry roller door down onto the toaster and snuck off for an afternoon nap while the baby slept, and the other kid was chucked in front of the telly. Husband said he was at work, but probably shopping for new golf clothes at the time. Kitchen destroyed, dining room munted and smoke damage throughout the rest of the house. Insurance paid for our damaged contents. Nothing will repair damaged ego of otherwise competent woman who lived there and who spends any spare time saying sorry to the golfer.

Favourite memory of that day was C bowling up to the Fire Chief and saying 'excuse me, could one of your men take me in, I need my tennis racquet as I'm due on court at 3pm'. Fire Chief responded, 'is that you semi-clad wife and startled children wrapped in the emergency blankets sitting on the Eplanade wall?' C does rather prefer that his life goes according to plan.

"Did you fax me three weeks in advance of this date notifying me of your intention to burn our house down while you and the children were inside?"

5) Diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Insurance to ease the costs of care and enabling choice of best surgeon, oncologist etc...they are like tradies after all - good plumbers, bad plumbers. Who wants their breast remover to be the new boy having his first real life go at doing it all by himself?

HOW WELL INSURED ARE YOU? And an even more important question: WILL ANYONE EVER INSURE ME FOR ANYTHING EVER AGAIN?