Three Days

The day before hurricane Irma came through we lost power at 3 PM. I remember yelling out (to the laughter of anyone within earshot) "We weren't ready!" We had cookies baking, dishes being washed, things to continue to charge. All the last minute things you do when a storm is headed your way. 

Irma came that night and kept us up. The house was sticky, though breezes would come through the open windows (protected by overhangs and porches). When she was gone early that morning we all went back to our bedrooms to get some sleep. We woke up to a beautiful day. It really was gorgeous. It was windy, cool, and dryer than most days we experience here. After all Florida = Humidity of Nightmares.

We spent that morning checking things over. No trees down, no major damage, just limbs here and there and leaves everywhere. I didn't expect to get out of it that easy. We sat on the porch and listened to the radio. No power, no cell service, no data... It was unexpectedly beautiful. It was like camping in my beloved mountains but I was home. 

We spent the day playing games, eating like we were camping (unhealthily) and enjoying the beautiful day. I thought to myself as I sat in front of my open balcony door how lucky we were that we had no damage to our home and that the day was so clear and cool. Then it hit me. I hadn't sat like this with a book in hand since I don't know when. No TV, no internet, no screen of any kind beckoning me. No calls, no texts, just quiet. 

We spent another whole night and day enjoying the slow quiet of the woods. Bit by bit things came back to normal. My cell phone started to work, data began to function and that night the electricity was on. I jumped up and down and was so grateful at first because as any country person can tell you... no electricity means no water. Within 30 minutes I was missing the quiet and all that was on were fans, the AC and the fridge. I had never realized the hum that we hear 24/7. I wondered to myself if this bombardment had anything to do with my lingering anxiety. 

We kept the lights off that night and my daughter and I played yet another game of Uno by latern light with our glow bracelets on. In my heart I was so conflicted over thankfulness for electricity and already missing the absolute simplicity of living without it.