Thoughts During A Power Outage

We just got hit with a nor'easter here in Maine. Today is day 3 with no power. Lets just say I have had a lot of time to think. Nature is so powerful. It was finally feeling like spring, all the snow was almost completely melted. Well, if there is anything I have learned living in the mountains, its don't hold your breath. We got 3 feet of snow, the sky went from blue to white. Its amazing how the world can change over night. I have to say it was absolutely beautiful, but it got me thinking about nature and what it is capable of. As much as we humans like to think we are in control, we are not. We were forced into a little hibernation this week. While we cannot control the world around us, we can control how we react to it. We had a storm earlier this winter and lost power for 4 days, I was not a happy camper. I remember how annoyed I was and how impatient I was for the power to come back on. I was so negative and resisted the opportunities that the isolation and powered-off time might present me. This time around, however, I have totally embraced this down time. Rather than sulking and aggressively flicking the light switches on and off, I have used this time to read, to journal, to be creative, and to rest. I am totally going with the flow. I realized this winter, that the universe sometimes forces you into uncomfortable situations as a catalyst for growth. So in the spirit of growth, here is what has been on my mind during this time of stillness.

It amazes me that I don't fully appreciate things until I don't have them. Since there is no power there is no running water, no heat, and no light. I realized how much I actually use water: to wash my face, to do laundry, to do the dishes, to shower, to brush my teeth, to wash my hands, to drink, to cook, etc. I get to come home everyday and do all of these things, I have that luxury. I can't believe I am not in awe of how fortunate I am, I can't believe I don't jump up and down everyday when I get to come home after work and get to take a shower. I can tell you right now, if the power came back on and I could shower I would be doing just that. It is so easy to look over your privilege, because you become so comfortable with it. So moving forward I am going to recognize the things I have, how comfortable my life is, even down to the smallest detail, and hopefully it won't take another power outage for me to stop and notice.

To play on that point, this experience has been more than humbling. I find myself feeling like a hardcore survivalist for taking a lighter to my stove to heat up water to wash my face with. Or when I make a fire to melt pots of snow to pour into the toilet tanks, I feel like I could easily live through an apocalypse. People used to not even have power and here I am on my high horse when I have a generator that is running my wifi to write a blog right now. Its certainly putting things into perspective for me. I wonder how capable I would be if I were born in a time before all of this luxury. I have a new found respect for the lifestyle of the past.

Since all of my usual distractions are unavailable to me right now, I have spent so much time entertaining myself beyond a screen. I have journaled 10 pages in the last few days. I have read 200 pages of my book. I have doodled and colored. I have jotted down ideas for our next podcast episode. I have been totally, 100%, present. It makes me think, there is always time for these things, and yet I am always saying to myself "Well I just didn't have the time today" When in fact, I always do. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and we choose how we spend that time. Due to the society we live in, there are so many opportunities for disassociation. Wether that be screens and social media or substances. We have all become so attached to our numbing devices that it feels peculiar to be still and to be present. I have really enjoyed getting comfortable with the present these last few days and seeing how much time I really have for my soul food activities.

I live with my boyfriend and his brothers. All of our bedrooms are in the basement, and we all enjoy our own spaces. The basement is currently colder than it is outside. Since our heat source is the wood stove upstairs right now, we are all gathered in the living room. It makes me think about how the majority of the time we are all doing our own thing and living out our independent schedules. Since school is canceled and there is also no power in the town that I work, we are all home together. We have been enjoying each others company and all doing our part to run our little compound. Its really refreshing, getting to slow down and all spend time together with no obligations to the outside world. Again, there is always time for this, we just need to recognize it.

That concludes my offline brain dump. I clearly have too much time on my hands, or rather I am spending my time meaningfully. It looks like we won't be getting power for another 2 days. Rather than dreading it like I would have even a few months ago, I look forward to what I will gain from the experience.