Baby when the lights go out

Last weekend, because of a wind storm and fallen trees and power lines, there was a power breakdown for half a day at our place. Because everything at our house is electricity related, life pretty much came to a stand still. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity for the first fire of the season and a simple fireside picnic of yummy cold roasted chicken-and-almond sandwiches by the husband and some cold orange juice.

It reminded me of my first winter in Seattle and one of the biggest storms I have seen in this area. We were out of power for a few days in the freezing cold. But it ended up being one of the most memorable few days of our life. We loved gathering at friends houses playing Ludo, telling scary stories in the candlelight and screaming our hearts out, getting creative with what to eat that we didn’t need to cook or warm up, and at nights bundling up under all the blankets we could find in our house. I remember my mom always telling us about her childhood and how people spent their evenings talking and playing board games and just being with each other. Those three or so days actually felt like that. So much so that when the lights finally did came back, I felt sad for a second (Of course, nothing can beat hot water and heating when its freezing outside, so the nostalgia didn’t last for any longer, wink).

Thanks for reading and stopping by!

For those in Pakistan, being without power might have lost its charm (!) when it’s an everyday, every-hour-or-so – story. But maybe every once in a while, when your UPS chooses not to work, you could turn off your cellphones and huddle around a candle and just share memories and stories, reminisce and maybe laugh your hearts out? I am sure of it, it will feel good. You might even want to turn off the UPS yourself once in a while ;)