"There is no more beautiful weather than in hurricane season when you're not having a hurricane." (Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea)
A storm full of wind knocked over a utility pole Friday night, severing our connection with the outside world. In an instant, the three programs I had running on the computer were shut down, the radio was silent, and the house was pitch dark. In that moment, the deadlines I had set for myself to complete various projects blew away with the power supply, too. There was nothing left to do but sleep. Beautiful thing.
The storm was an inconvenient and beautiful clearing out of summer humidity. In the morning, I went for a walk amid the trees blown inside out. The still green of summer has given way to a range of beautiful wild flowers that are harbingers of autumn. They in their delicate way have managed the storm better than the mighty power pole.
In the unlit quiet of Saturday, my daughter sat by a window and made hemp bracelets, read, and wrote about dolphins. She washed her dad's car inside and out. She went running and exploring at the park. We shared the day with her doing much the same things, and we found lots of flowers together. Powerless and alone for the day, we found being powerless and alone can be beautiful.
The storm was an inconvenient and beautiful clearing out of summer humidity. In the morning, I went for a walk amid the trees blown inside out. The still green of summer has given way to a range of beautiful wild flowers that are harbingers of autumn. They in their delicate way have managed the storm better than the mighty power pole.
In the unlit quiet of Saturday, my daughter sat by a window and made hemp bracelets, read, and wrote about dolphins. She washed her dad's car inside and out. She went running and exploring at the park. We shared the day with her doing much the same things, and we found lots of flowers together. Powerless and alone for the day, we found being powerless and alone can be beautiful.
10 Comments
With all our conveniences (are they really?), we often forget how we can spend time much more simply and enjoyably. It's nice to be reminded of that one wind storm and a while.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement.
Okay, I have to giggle! I commented on your comment on my posting about "The Great Blackout of 2003" and what happened here... and the parallels kinda make me giggle! (...and yes, I wrote them before coming here!)
ReplyDeleteHope all is well...
There is a lot of truth in what you have written. Thank God for storms in our lives. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the storm provided you the chance to appreciate the quiet that can be so lacking in today's world. Not many of us would have found opportunity, but rather would have chosen to complain about our inconvenience. What a good lesson. Your writing is thought provoking!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to spend the day ... :) Happy BYB Sunday!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great and thoughtful reminder of whats important in life - thanks for sharing:-)
ReplyDeleteI love the music you've added to your blog. What song is this? My BYB is now up! I'm always late for the rest of the group...such is life when I live so far away! Writing about dolphins eh? Perhaps your daughter would enjoy my Dancing Dolphin Journal blog!
ReplyDeleteWow, I love those pictures. Sometimes we must be stripped of what makes us civilized to find our center again.
ReplyDeletean interesting angle indeed whereby being powerless & alone can be so beautiful
ReplyDeletecan almost picture your descriptions in sepia tones... :)
Thanks for being here.