Two days without power

Two days without electricity. A blessing and a pain the backside. It's amazing how much we rely on electricity every day and it's difficult to imagine life without it. However, the past two days the town I live in hasn't had power due to extreme weather conditions, snow, and strong winds. Luckily our heating and cooker is run on gas which means we can stay warm when it's 2 degrees outside. Those who use electricity for everything aren't so lucky.

The weather yesterday was strange to say the least. And while weather forecasts did warn us that snow was coming our way, no one expected it to be this bad. With power cuts all over the country, traffic congestion and angry citizens were to be expected. Many tragedies took place and it was very difficult for the many homeless people and those without heating.

But when something bad happens we should try to find a positive side to it.

* No electricity means romantic candle lit dinners for two
* Talking as a family instead of locking yourself in separate rooms to watch reruns of your favourite television programs
* Reading a book instead of surfing the Internet
* Writing a letter instead of using the phone
* Being grateful for all the wonderful things we have that make our lives so much easier
* Appreciating life and the people around us
* Slowing down for just a moment

Two days without electricity is frustrating. No email check ups. No news watching. You can dry your hair, or put the kettle on. The fridge defrosts ruining all the frozen meat inside. Dirty clothes well hand washing becomes your only option. Credit and debit cards can be cut up because cash is the only thing that works. Using a computer isn't an option, and the trusty lap top's battery life has it's limits, as mine is showing me right now.

There are so many things that we use electricity for, that it becomes difficult to function when we don't have it. The other great thing is there's time to relax and catch up on some lost sleep. It's nine pm on my side of the world, and for the first time in a long time, I'm off to bed.