It's one of those days in September where you have to stop and breathe it in. And here I sit, with the somnambulant public, in a building where the power lies. Plugged in, tuned out, and each in our own little world.The past few days have been... interesting. There's a word for it. Anyone remotely near central Ohio knows that most of Columbus hasn't had power since Sunday. And by "most", I mean me. And about 400,000 other people. And so with work closed and many of my familiar haunts closed, I've been adrift through the city, in search of a little juice for the Blackbird and sustenance for my own gullet. Nights spent with the roommates, conversing by candlelight are nice, but candlelight should be used for other things and it strikes me how a power outage reminds me how very single I am.
Nothing like the darkness to make you feel alone. When the lights go out. When the energy around you stops. When it's just you and a very quiet house, natural instinct is to reach into that darkness and hope to pull in someone close. Someone that compliments you... that fits against you when you're dozing on the couch.
Losing power. Losing control. It's interesting. And probably the best thing to happen to me in months.
A week ago, some will attest, I was... reaching the end of my rapidly fraying rope. Various factors of the universe were converging in this perfect storm type of way that left me all but exhausted. Eight solid months of being "on", of working, of going, going, going, will do that to a man. We all know that I'm one of those uber-busy types. Always working. No vacation. And even when I vacation, I'm doing something else. Writing. Theatre. Family. Theatre. Work. Planning. Visiting. Always moving. Always doing. Never ceasing.
And then...
The winds came.
And they stopped everything. They stopped me.
The whole city just shut down. Everything. Stopped. Suddenly, I didn't have cable or internet. Or power. And while that has come with the price of taking more cold showers than I'd like, it has also given me something I haven't had in some time.
A break.
So I'm just... here. Working on work when I need to. Reading scripts. Jotting down ideas for my own. And just... breathing. It's nice. To suddenly have a week to stop and calm down. And to appreciate the world around me.
Last night I was standing out by the theater. And there's no power out there, so the whole world was asleep. It was still and quiet. And on the horizon... nothing. Just the dark, dancing in the moonlight. It was so beautiful. A throw back to a simpler time when we weren't plugged in. When we weren't dependent on machines. When we were connected with the world instead of the virtual.
How novel.
So today, I'm sitting here at Panera. People coming and going. And wondering what can I do that will let me enjoy this gorgeous day.
And then the phone rang. And I'm heading out to go horseback riding.
No rush to get reconnected to the virtual, when something tangible and real is waiting out there.
Go enjoy a world without power. We don't get to do that very often.
Funny how our perspectives were so different about this power outage! After the novelty of candelight dinners (with three children present) wore off, I didn't see the wonderful opportunities the situation could bring. Your post was beautiful. Good for you for almost always trying to find the positive side. Sometimes I find you amazing!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm glad you're safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteYes, being alone in the darkness in bed can feel lonely. But somehow I prefer that than feeling alone in a room full of people.
So good to know you had novel and beautiful experiences in those power-less days and nights.