We live in a world where technology and electricity are a daily thing. Now, entering the beginning of summer, storms are starting to roll through all over the world. The thing about our house is that it is on the side of the street that loses power every storm.
Every. Single. Time.
In honor of storm season, and the power being out as I write this, here are 13 things that inevitably happen when the lights are diminished.
1. Silence
The entire house is silent. All the motors that were running and machines working and the buzz of electricity is gone.
2. Yelling
After the realization that the power is out hits everyone in the house, there are voices coming from all over in the dark. They are asking if everyone is okay and questioning how long this one will last.
3. Blindly looking for flashlights
Everyone is scrambling to find the flashlights to bring light back into the house.
4. Lighting every candle you didn’t know you had
All the candles in the house – some you may have forgotten about – are brought out and lit.
5. Running out of data (for those who don’t have unlimited)
For those poor souls who use their phones anywhere and everywhere (i.e. my brothers), their data will slowly diminish as they sit at home in their wifi-less house.
6. Coming up with things to do that don’t involve wifi or electricity
At some point, everyone will be sitting there trying to figure out what to do now. They are staring at the black TV screen and trying not to be on their phone. A game of Euchre, perhaps?
7. Forgetting you can’t get water out of the fridge anymore
Filtered, cold water from the fridge is now out of the question. But out of habit you go over anyways only to do the walk of shame back to the sink, full of disappointment.
8. Forgetting the lights don’t work
Every room you walk in, even with a flashlight in hand, you will forget for a split second that the electricity is out and you will flip the switch. Once again, you are disappointed.
9. Heat
Because Mother Nature loves us, storms mainly occur in the summer. That being said, once the electricity is out, so is the air conditioning. Bring on the heat.
10. Getting yelled at every time you accidentally open the refrigerator
The refrigerator is holding all the foods that would spoil without the coolness. Now that the electric is out, the only thing keeping the cool air in is the closed door. Don’t, under any circumstances open the door. All hell will break loose if you do.
11. Actually having a fully engaged conversation with no distractions
A good thing out of all this is you can actually just sit down and talk with your family without the distractions of phones and laptops and televisions. It is a full-fledged conversation with actual eye contact. Who would’ve thought?!
12. Realizing just how dependent we all are on electricity
A lesser thought is the realization that we really are dependent and used to constant electricity. Taking that away in an instant is a shock and you have to learn and adapt to the new surroundings even if it is only for a little while.
13. Enjoying a technology-free night
There is always something great about having a night of good conversation and fun games. Putting away all the busy distractions is actually a good thing and can make for a much more enjoyable evening.