A Day Without Electricity – Reflecting on Simple Joys

A hurricane with drenching rains and heavy winds. A complete power outage including cable outage — no lights, phones, TV or computer. Scented candles softly illuminating each room of the house. My husband and I sat facing each other — me, making the most of the situation and our quiet companionship — him, antsy and distracted wondering what ARE we going to DO with no computer or television or ball game to entertain us.

We sat, contemplating our situation, reflecting on the extreme and taken-for-granted role that electricity plays in our lives. My husband suggested playing Scrabble, but we weren’t sure where the game board was — and then if we even had the correct number of tiles that accompany the game. “How about cards?” I asked. So we decided to play Gin Rummy, something we have not played in many years since the children were young — and were straining our brains to remember the exact rules of the game (and we couldn’t look them up on the internet either.) I was feeling good about our decision to pass the time with this simple delight of card-playing, since it was so far removed from our everyday life. So my husband found a deck of cards and…. the lights suddenly flickered on!

And of course, what happened — my husband jumped for the TV remote, eagerly waiting for our Cable box to boot up, and I quietly retreated to the office to reboot my computer. So much for simple pleasures…

But I must admit that as electricity brought our house to life and the lights came on, I DID feel a remarkable sense of relief to be back in the year 2011…

That one day without power were quite thought-provoking for me and I am still reflecting on the experience. There was a profound lesson I took away from this brief removal from the land of electricity. And that is a real sense of appreciation for our modern lives. Having no working computer, cable connection and no internet – and not being able to power up my smartphone were tough, but the reality of having to deal with the total darkness, no working refrigerator and the possibility of soon running out of hot water were sobering thoughts.

So my sense of gratitude for those things which we routinely accept as a part of our sophisticated world has been strengthened. We are all so tuned in and plugged in to all the latest technology, that sometimes we forget about the simple joys in life, such as spending one on one time in person with those whom we love. So I definitely encourage you to acknowledge and appreciate the modern aspects of your life on a regular basis — you don’t need to wait for a hurricane or other natural disaster to drive home this message.

Affirmations:

• I gratefully acknowledge all the modern conveniences that fill my life.
• I make special time to spend with those close to me and our relationships are strengthened.
• Challenges and obstacles serve a purpose — to help me learn and grow!