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We lost our electricity for a few hours last night. Ironically, Stone and I were huddled around the laptop working on the end of the season invoices and the boys were watching a new DVD. I confess– there were enough lights on and devices plugged in that the sudden drop of electricity was jolting.
The kids didn’t know what happened and I was startled back to childhood memories of how fun it was when the lights went out. We would grab flashlights, light candles and huddle together. Someone would always forget about why the lights were out and try to turn a light on as they entered the bathroom and we’d all laugh, reminded of how much we take electricity for granted. We played games and made forts. It was very exciting.
Last night we came to our first conclusion very quickly: We are not prepared for an emergency situation. We have flashlights, but the kids often use them making them difficult to find in emergencies and unreliable in terms of whether the batteries are charged. As I scrambled to find matches to light a candle, I thought about Katrina and the people who were stuck without access to basic necessities. Just last year, my family in MA was out of power for five days. For some people this means no heat or stove or hot water. Am I prepared for a situation like that? Or maybe a better question is–How can I be better prepared. Yes, that feels more empowering.
Our second conclusion: We are made for adventure!
It was so fun! Fumbling around in the dark and remembering that I do keep our camping lantern tucked away from the kids. Figuring out how to stay warm and what we could do to entertain ourselves. I was brought back to our earlier adventures of living off the grid in a yurt in the mountains of North Carolina. We used to cook over a wood stove and used a nearby brook as a fridge.
I thought about one of our favorite places in the world: a small camp owned by Stone’s family. We haul our own water and use an outhouse. It’s pure bliss. Or the two years we rented a home with a housemate right after Solshine was born. It was like a ski chalet and heated with a wood stove. All winter long I kept us warm with the rhythmic ritual of keeping the fire burning, while we watched the snow fall around our beautiful home and played card games with friends around the big table.
We like to live like that. I like building fires for heat and getting water from a spring. I like feeling connected to our warmth and water and right now I feel…. oh, so domesticated. It’s just a little too easy to push that thermostat on, turn on the lights and use as much water as we want.
Yes, we try to stay mindful, but it feels a little boring. Last night in the dark, working together to find light and create heat, we were excited again. Life felt like an adventure and we both started talking, back and forth in the dark, of ways we want to bring more excitement into our life.
Self-sufficiency feels exciting to me. Knowing I can create heat for my family, have stores of healthy food and access to clean water is important. As much as I love city life it feels a little imbalanced.
We learned a lot last night. We didn’t even know we were feeling this way until the lights went out and now we have new questions for ourselves. I’m sure I’ll be posting more about this. We’re looking for a bit more adventuring in our lives.
(When the lights came on we were a little disappointed.)
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I have totally had the experience of being disappointed when the power came back on! Life on the edge is surely more interesting, but once you get used to it and it becomes habit, does it lose the “edge”?
Loved reading this post. Especially loved that you took advantage of the ENERGY created in the power outage to discuss how to bring more of that excitement and energy into the daily, privileged life.
MamaGooseIthaca´s last blog ..Rosemary & Sage Roasted Vegetables
chills…and smiles…and wishing that we lived near each other so we could cut the power on occasion just for fun. I love the way this story says so much about your family– as all the best uses of words do– you paint a picture of one event that says so much more….
ah. the feeling your describing…remind’s me of the book radical simplicity. it is invigorating!
Alisha´s last blog ..What’s your winter wish?
love the new “about me” and “family” page. i’m always a bit disappointed when the lights come back on. then it’s back to “normal life”. i’m sure we’re not as prepared as we could be. i’m looking forward to being “off-the-grid” in the RV, though. ;)
Tara @ TheOrganicSister´s last blog ..Advent Activities and Ideas
love this.
i feel the same way about snowstorms…it’s just magical the way they stop time.
i also love the description of your first house. it actually fits our house very well. we’ve often struggled to find the words to describe it but really that’s just what it is…a ski chalet with a central woodstove that heats the whole house.
exhale. return to center.´s last blog ..presents for mama
What a lovely post! Your family sounds so flexible and creative, and I love that you are thinking about these issues now, discussing them, and planning for the future without flipping the switch to terrified and dogmatic.
Bravo to you for your energy, enthusiasm and open-mindedness! If it didn’t sound so strange, I’d wish you many more nights without electricity. :) Instead, I’ll wish you many more moments of connectedness and true power!
Meredith´s last blog ..the beginning of a miracle
Sounds like fun!! Last year when we were living on the kangaroo farm, we had to light a wood stove for heat when it got chilly, so there was a lot of starting fires — I discovered I have powers like Meredith on Heroes to get fires going!! It was quite empowering. LOL!
Devon´s last blog ..NaBloPoMo
I love sitting around the fire or in a room lit with candles, playing board games, snuggling in blankets, and just talking when the lights go out. When I was little my dad used to pop corn for us right in the fireplace. It was pretty magical.
Melodie´s last blog ..An Argument For Eating Your Placenta