We got power back today. I should say, we got ELECTRICITY back today, but I have gained some power.
Locally we had to go electric-cold turkey; some for longer than others, but for me, the experience was a bit of an unintended experiment. I feel like I have changed a little. I have stopped checking the time as I had for years, on the red glowing display on the oven door. Time awareness seemed inconsequential these past few days, considerin there was no heat and hundreds of dollars of food was tossed. I have quit turning on the lights every time I put something away in the linen closet. I quit punching buttons on my cordless and my cell phone. Instead I have been DIALING on my five pound black princess telephone which had been stored away in the basement closet for years. And when the electricity came on this afternoon, I refused to plug in my computer and check my mail. It felt like a trivial pursuit, just thinking about a list of messages, mostly from unknown senders. I am still pulling my chair up to the south facing windows to read the paper, instead of flipping the light switch. And why not?
I don't know if the electricity diet has had similar effects on other folks. Once the lights come back, see if you run back to your old habits or if you have developed new ones. Are you craving an e-mail hit? Or has the absence of power given you an option you didn't think to exercise before? In 1967 Timothy Leary supposedly coined the phrase, 'turn on, tune in, drop out.' The 'drop out' portion referred to the need to detach from uncomfortable committments or attachments. While my interpretation is probably not entirely accurate, I think my impression is right on. I don't want to drop out necessarily, but I do want to wean off the juice a bit. We have proven there are alternatives! Ultimately, are we being driven or are we the drivers?
