Lights Out

Last night a powerful storm ripped through our area, cutting off electricity in our area for about six hours. After the violence of the storm had passed, it was actually a really cozy feeling to finish up the evening by candlelight, with no distractions - no TV, no radio, no computer. Just silence and darkness. It felt very calming to not be surrounded by the usual noise and distratctions of everyday life for a few hours, very similar to how I feel when I am on retreat - particularly those that I run in nature. What was very interesting for me was how clear and creative my thoughts were in the silence.

For many years when I was working internationally I lived in a country where we were accustomed to 18 hours of blackout (loss of power). Life was naturally slower with things getting done "just now", when lights and power permitted.

When was the last time you wrapped yourself up in the silence of "lights out"?