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One of the many trees that uprooted after Washington, DC storms |
Over the past several weeks, my neighborhood has lost electrical power several times for varying periods of time.
It’s a funny thing about losing power in your house. For some reason it doesn’t really hit you at first what you can and can’t do. For example, when I first lost power, my thoughts immediately went to this: “I should go on the computer and report this to PEPCO.” Not. And then I thought about cooking something in the microwave. DUH!! How can I go on the computer or use the microwave when I don’t have any electricity?
Instead of mindlessly lounging in front of the TV after work, I was doing a lot more reading, organizing around the house, talking to my neighbors and yardwork that I had put off. I listened to the radio for news but only when I needed to. It wasn’t blabbling for hours at a time.
I recentered myself and I felt I was more engaged with my daily routine. I found I had more creative and had quiet time. Quiet time is so important because it allows you to untangle your thoughts. A frantic mind is what causes stress.
Watching television is passive and I think I was turning on the TV after working all day because I didn’t want to think anymore. Does that make sense? I thought TV was helping me relax but it really wasn’t.
The heat wave in DC is going to continue for awhile this summer and I do expect to lose power again because that’s the nature of the service we get from PEPCO. But the next time the lights go out and I grab the rechargable flashlight and candles, I won’t worry about what program I’m missing on TV because I wasn’t watching it.
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