Sounds like some kind of weekly, new year resolution challenge. Power Hour. If only I was that creative and inspired.
The other day, one of those polar vortex days last week, I pulled up at the farm after work to get everything done before the sun went down and got too cold. The thought of having everything finished early and being able to settle in with a movie and fuzzy socks on the couch with my dog sounded like just the ticket. As I pulled into the drive, I had a fleeting thought that something looked, or rather felt, different.
Not being able to put my finger on it quickly and having too much to do, I pushed the though aside and got to work.
Time went by quickly, but I worked just as fast. When I was close to being finished, I slowed down a little and then it hit me.
No power.
Great.
I pulled out my phone. Less than 10% battery.
Double great.
My early evening movie dreams seemed to vanish as quickly as I had conjured them. Well, at least my dog, the couch, and the fuzzy socks would be there.
I quickly fell back on my default. I called Pops. Why is it that at less than a year from being thirty years old, I still call my parents for help? Have I ever been at the farm before with no power? or anywhere else for that matter? No. You call the power company and report it, light candles, get the batteries out, and then you wait. All of the above is what he said, as expected.
Anyway, back to my story.
I got all the candles together, lit them, and arranged them around the house while trying to report the outage over the phone. After that chore was checked off the list, I did a little happy dance before lighting the propane space heaters and being glad for a gas stove to heat up my dinner.
While my dinner was heating up, I looked around at the soft flickering light flooding through the house and just had to smile. Such a pretty sight that almost felt like an actual warmth that was more than the space heaters.
I almost laughed at myself for doing such a 180. Just moments before I was exclaiming (yes, aloud if you must know) how this stuff always happens to me when I am by myself! No power. Broken stuff. You name it. Kick the dirt. It makes me laugh now. How quickly we loose sight of what is important and how much we have.
I sat down with my candle light dinner, Darcy at my feet, and did not even bother with the fuzzy socks. No TV. No phone. No distractions. Just quiet. Maybe I will read a book with my fuzzy socks.
Just as I was thinking how great this was and how I would be OK if this happened on occasion (Occasion?! Give me a week away from it all!), the lights flickered and the power came back on. Figures.
Darcy and I looked at each other seemingly posing the same question. Should I just turn the lights off and continue on in candle light?
Well, I didn’t. I plugged in my phone, blew out most of the candles, and found a movie on the TV.
It all got me thinking how connected and dependent we are. Phone calls. Text messages. Emails. Photos. Social media. Internet. All of it in this little computer we all keep at an arm’s reach. Permeating everything we do. Getting comfortable with convenience. Complacent with the world as we know it today. How different it is now.
I often find myself wanting to really unplug and get away from my phone and computer always demanding things from me. Taking me away from what is really important and what life is really about. Taking actual time out of my life.
I have been thinking about this a lot the last few days. Ever since my hour without power. There are two things that come to mind. Something I read a few years ago and something I read today.
It is going to take me a while to find the article from a few years ago, so that will have to be saved for another day.
Something I found today though, is totally worth the read. A bit morbid at first sight, but absolutely worth it. Too many truths to count from someone who knows what IT is all about.
Don’t tell anyone if I ‘accidentally’ drop my phone in the water trough and and flip the breaker!
Walk in love, dear readers!
The one common denominator in all the most happy times in my life is the absence of phones, technology-noise. For instance, camping in Colorado, vacationing at a resort in Hawaii that didn’t have any cell service, etc. We need to unplug!
Yes!
How about dropping a phone into the sump pump!!! Um hum!
haha