The week I lost power for 5 days and actually slept better

Last spring a storm knocked a tree through the power lines near my place in Ohio. No power for 5 full days. First night I was annoyed. By day 3 I realized I was going to bed around 9pm and waking up naturally at dawn. No phone, no tv, no computer. My neighbor loaned me a kerosene lamp and I read an actual paperback book for the first time in years. The quiet was kind of nice once I got used to it. Anybody else have a power outage turn into something unexpected?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliam401mo ago

and you know what, I bet that kerosene lamp made a bigger difference than you think. did you notice your eyes didn't hurt at the end of the night like they do with phone screens or overhead lights? i had a similar thing happen a few years back and the soft yellow light was the first time i didn't squint or feel that dry eye feeling before bed. also the quiet you mentioned, was it the lack of sound or the lack of the hum from appliances that surprised you more?

ivan8731mo ago

Did you ever notice how quiet really is when you take away all the hums and buzzes? That silence hits you different because you don't realize how much noise those appliances make until they're gone. I had a similar moment with a gas lantern once, and the soft quiet mixed with the warm light made me feel like I could actually sleep better that night.