Taking Time to Enjoy the Present

Last night we had another power outage. Last week it was fun. This time I found myself getting annoyed at the inconvenience. I had places to go (tv shows). People to see (online). Things to do (computer work).

It was downright silly to feel that way because I had an amazing new book to read (Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish) and plenty of candlelight to read by. We had food in the fridge and a pot of cold tea that was easily reheated on the wood stove. Our family was together. My son and I spent some time playing “Blink” and my Palm Treo was fully charged so we were able to listen to music.

Yet these was this restless need for things to be “normal” (electricity, cable tv, internet access). I felt unreasonably irritated that some idiot had knocked down an electrical wire. I can understand losing power when the winds are gusting and torrential rain is falling. It can even feel cozy in those circumstances. But the air and ocean were calm. There was no storm. In fact, we had just spent three quarters of an hour meandering down an oceanside road and were just home as dusk fell. The sky was overcast and the threat of rain was in the air, but it was so calm it almost felt balmy.

We were just getting ready to make dinner. Not fair, my brain screamed!

As the hours crept by, my restlessness increased, and I kept calling the hydro power outage line for updates. But I also found ways to distract myself. I took my camera out and snapped pictures of candlelight and a warm wood fire.  I played scrabble and solitaire on my cell phone. I got lost in my book and the good music. In fact, when the lights finally came on 5 minutes before the hydro company had predicted, I barely noticed.

I realized later that these moments are my child’s memory making moments. He literally hoots with joy when the lights go out and cherishes the quiet family time and the one-on-one attention. My lesson? Treasure these moments and be fully present.