Last Wednesday a wind storm swept through Michigan and knocked over trees and power lines. Over a million people across the state lost electricity. Some had damage to their homes. The storm caused so much destruction that many homes were without electricity for days. My home was one of them.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~Viktor Frankl
Every time something like this happens, I am given the chance to practice the above quote. I am given the chance to stop in that space and choose my reaction rather than automatically reacting in anger and fear (which is what I often do when we have storms and lose power!) I like to think that I am getting a little better each time, though very, very far from perfect.
Losing electricity causes all kinds of changes in our routine and challenges. Learning to be flexible and resourceful is key.
Our back porch became our refrigerator.
Our gas fireplace became our only source of heat and our gathering place.
Clementines and bread were staples for breakfast and lunch.
My parents’ house, my in-laws’ house, and a nearby friend’s house (all of whom did not lose power) became warm places of refuge for us, with warm food, coffee and showers.
Candles and lanterns lit up the dark evenings.
We now have our electricity back, and I am excited to get back to the kitchen and get cooking and baking again, and then posting the recipes I love. I am proud of my kids and thankful for my husband’s help through all of this. We can pull together and handle a lot of difficulties. And being mindful of that space between stimulus and response helps a person get through a challenging situation with a bit of grace.
A warm cup of coffee in the morning, a warm shower in the evening, warm air coming out of the heat vents, and running water–those are things we are really appreciating right now. Stay warm, it’s cold and snowy out there today!
That is a very wise quote and I’m glad you guys made it through strong. It is alarming when you realize how much we take for granted and how dependent we are on our conveniences. It makes you think about your place in the world and brings up so much. In times like that you do have to choose your response. It looks like you choose well and made it fun (ish). Glad everything is back and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of the kitchen!
Thanks Amanda! It was a struggle to be sure, but there were some fun moments. It does bring up a lot of thoughts about what we take for granted and what matters. I feel like I will be catching up for a few days!
Glad you got your power back. I think times like that become the most rememberable. I finally got my first snow day today. The first and probably the last of this winter. Bring on Spring!!
Thanks, Debbie! I am with you–bring on spring! It is very cold and snowy here this week. I wish we would have had this weather in Jan/Feb, not mid March! But it gives us more excuses to have warm food. 🙂
Sometimes it is rather nice to lose power for a tiny bit of time. How wonderful to have good neighbors! Thank you for sharing. Wonderful post.
Thank you, Ginger! Yes, good neighbors are priceless and I am very thankful for them! But I’m so thankful to have electricity back!