Power Outages and What I Think About Living Without Electricity for a Period of Time

As I write this post, my house is currently without power. (I’m using my laptop to write this post) I won’t go into the nitty, gritty details about how it happened, but there was a car accident that took out one of the power lines. So, now I’m without power.

Like many people, this is not the first time I’ve been without power for long periods of time. Growing up, the area where I lived didn’t have reliable power due to how new living in the area was and underdeveloped the power grid was. So, it was very common to have power outages during the summer months. As I got older, power went out sometimes due to storms and for other reasons, such as car accidents. Earlier this year, the power went out completely at my house on one of the hottest days of the year. It was miserable.

I’ve heard about people glamorizing living with no power. Where I live (Arizona) I think that is ridiculous. Of course we need to turn off our TVs, computers, and electronics to focus on family time. I’m not surprised that reading isn’t a popular activity unless there isn’t anything else to amuse someone. Yet, what about the weather? What about cooking? What about other essentials that are powered by electronics? For an example, the only way to live in Arizona without air conditioning during the summer heat is to go someplace cooler!

While it is true that I turn off my TV, computer, cell phone, and other electronics to have some peace and quiet, I am also need them. I don’t get out of my house that much and when I do, I travel to small towns to run errands. I don’t get out of the small town very often. The information electronics bring me is important to keep in touch with everything that is going on in the world. I also enjoy the entertainment I can enjoy from them.

As I sit here in my house, typing on my battery powered laptop, I am happy I live in a world where I can enjoy electricity and the things powered by it. Yet, this is still a world where I can open up my door or windows to let the cool outside air in! It is a really nice day today, with the weather mild and cool, but not cold or really warm. It is so nice to hear birds going about their business and hear the sounds of my neighborhood. I also won’t have known a car accident caused the power outage if I haven’t opened my door and listened to the outside noise. I like living in a world where I can choose to use electricity or not. I just hope the ability to choose to pass time using electric powered devices and media or without using electricity doesn’t go away or change. To me, that would be something I would miss and feel a longing for the rest of my life.

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!