Thoughts on being powerless (electricitywise)

Powerless. That was the status of most of Olympia and Lacey sometime in the last two days due to wind storms.

The world is awful quiet with the power out. I like the darkness. The street lights bother me at night. it *should* be dark at night.

I used to love power outages when I was younger. You get to pull out candles and oil lamps. Take a bath by candlelight. My family would play card or board games. I think we may have any way. That is how I choose to remember.

This time I was alone. Empty house. No sound, not even the fridge or crappy baseboard heaters clicking on and off. I never realized how much I use the tv, stereo, computer as company. As community. Is this what is happening to America? Technology flakes out on us less than people, so we "simplify." It doesn't seem like much of a solution. I wonder who I would be without all this stuff. If all I had were myself and my physical needs (food, water, shelter, clothing) what would I be forced to do about my emotional needs (relationship, compassion, to be trusted, needed, wanted ...)

What I lack would be more keenly felt without my 'comforts.' Would it move me to become closer with new friends? Would it encourage me to be more outgoing and meet new people? Would it push me to become self-sufficient and take care of myself? Or would I sink into despair and depression.

Being an optimist at heart, I believe that the suffering would help me to face reality and and embrace life after digging myself out the necessary unpleasantries of facing the world.

At the least I know that avoiding problems doesn't ever solve them, and so I should face them at least one at a time if not all at once.

Would abstaining from some of my distractions help me? If I knew it would, would I do it? Maybe I just need to get my ration of silence and alone time, rather than throwing out my tivo, HDTV, computer, Xbox and such.

I should add it to my prescriptions for getting healthy; folic acid, daily vitamins, regular exercise, walking 1 hour a day, eat proper portions of healthy-ish food, regular writing, 20-30 minutes of time with myself for just being with myself.

Next step: How to actually get myself to do all the things that I know will make me better. Any Ideas?