Today we were without power. The electric company reported it was due to down trees, a byproduct of an early and heavy snow with all the beautiful leaves still being firmly attached to the trees. We also lost power on Thursday, but I was at work so I didn't care about this much. Today was a weekend. A day home.
I should also mention that we live in the country so without power we also have no water. Lovely well water.
And I should confess that I forgot to plug my cell phone in to charge last night, so it was dead as well.
I have a very predictable weekend morning routine. Get up without an alarm when my body is ready. Eat breakfast and make coffee. Drink coffee while watching home show (typically HGTV, but I sometimes mix it up). After about an hour of this, I am then ready to start my day.
This is in stark contrast to my weekday routine of getting up with 20-30 minutes to get out the door work, making a smoothie and coffee in to-go containers and drinking them both on my way in as I continue to wake up and mentally prepare for the day. I relish in the contrast.
I digress. Today, I got up as normal and, luckily, went to the bathroom (no water = no flushing toilets). Then the lights flickered and went out. Initially panic set it in. I need breakfast and coffee. I am an angry person without these things. I went back to bed, unable to think of a plan without fuel. Luckily my parents helped me out with this one and suggested we all go to Bob Evans for breakfast. Yes! After my 1/2 omelet and 2 small cups of coffee, I felt human again, like the Snickers commercials.
The hope was that by the time we got home, the power would be restored. We weren't this lucky. Appreciating my full belly more than usual, I decided to embrace the situation.
I finished a book.
I crocheted for a while. Then I spent another 2 hours working to unknot some atrocious mess I made of one of the skeins.
My dog spent the time curled up next to me, keeping us both warm. I also put on my thick socks and snuggled under a blanket.
It was nice. The quiet felt peaceful. I could hear the nature sounds out of window that are usually drowned out by the background of TV noise. I could focus on one thing at time without interruptions of texts, emails, and news blurbs. I didn't feel guilty for not getting caught up on work and documentation. I allowed myself to be mindful and fully present in the moment, enjoying the one activity I had chosen to put my attention towards in that moment. I slowed down. I allowed myself to be calm and relaxed.
The power returned late in the afternoon, just before it began to get dark. Perfect timing really. I am now behind on the household chores and the work I promised myself I'd do this weekend, but I'm not letting this bother me. Some things can't be controlled. We can either let it ruin our day (lives) or embrace it and make-do.
Hi from ICLW...glad the power came back the same day
ReplyDeleteI think you really captured something with those last two sentences. Making the best of it, make do, being optimistic, rolling with the punches... It sounds ridiculous as first when you have things to get done but I often find that such times are an opportunity to see what you're capable of. And, especially with something like a power outage (or a hurricane where I grew up), you are given the rare opportunity to find rest in a stressful situation.
ReplyDeleteGlad the power came back before bed!