This morning I had a meeting with a research colleague for an hour when the power went out in mid- sentence. I called the front desk and was told it would be out until 2:15-ish. At 2:30, I called the power company and was told it would be 5 pm. The cell phone was close to being out of power and the laptop had been charging when power went out. I headed to campus to find a place with available power and power outlets so I could recharge there. I visited with a friend while recharging. Power was restored by the time I got home. I made an early supper quickly, in case the power went out again. Very little trust in that system today <sigh>
I was surprised that the power outage caused a spike in anxiety. I found myself pacing -- a good way to get rid of nervous energy. I had planned to work on the edits to the manuscript for journal publication. I thought of other things that I could do to occupy the time without electricity. I made a cold lunch that was different from the usual -- wasabi tuna salad sandwich with yogurt and grapes. I'd made a cup of tea for the meeting that was still warmish. Cold tea is OK, just the lukewarm stuff that is problematic to me. I thought that I could clean the floors, but then the steam cleaner requires electricity. I couldn't watch TV or listen to music without electricity. Wifi was down, so no online work. Data could help, but the phone was nearing the end of a charge. It seemed that anything that I thought of needed power. We do rely on it a lot, don't we?
The day made me feel out of control, without the power to do much except try to charge devices. The powerless feeling left me thinking of how to regain some of the power -- to become empowered again. A few lines from a song come to mind when I feel this way. I share this song today. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Brave -- Sarah Bareilles
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