Primal Experiment: Intentional Power Outage
A few months back, I linked to an article about a guy who experienced an unexpected benefit after Hurricane Irene knocked out his power for several days: he started sleeping much, much better. Instead of staying up late on the computer or with the TV blaring and going to bed at the usual 11:30 or midnight, he found himself yawning around 9 PM and getting to bed at 10. It was the best sleep of his life, and even better – the effects persisted even after the power returned. He had effectively entrained his circadian rhythm to the natural cycle of light and dark. This is basic stuff to you guys, but bear with me.
Just last week, a reader named Melissa emailed me with a similar story. She lost power for three and a half days after a Connecticut snowstorm took out power all across the state. Instead of panicking, she rolled with it. Instead of freaking out over the fact that there were sub-freezing temperatures, no heat, and no water (it froze), she made a fun snowball fight out of a snowstorm. She took it as an opportunity to get “unexpectedly extra-Primal.” I like it. I remember those New England winters, and I can’t imagine a better way to deal with them than to accept the challenge and make the best of it.
That gave me an idea – why wait for the grid to fail to have all that fun? Why not willingly experience all that good stuff without the threat of cannibal hordes and Xbox-live starved teens beating down your door?
So, now, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to spend a weekend – two full nights, minimum – living under a self-imposed intentional power outage. Even if you live in a sunny climate and even if you’ve got a generator hooked up for worst-case scenarios, I want you to completely disconnect from electricity. We’re going to find out what it really feels like to turn off and drop out.
That means:
- No computers, smartphones, or Internet.
- No e-book readers.
- No TV or radio.
- No lightbulbs or flashlights.
- Thus, you should be:
- Stocking up on candles.
- Splitting wood for the fireplace (if you have one and it’s cold enough to warrant it).
- Grabbing some good books (no Nooks or Kindles, though).
- Bringing out the board games.
To give you an idea of what to expect, check out exactly how Melissa got more Primal (in her own words) going without power:
- No hot water, so I was a little more “natural” smelling than usual!
- I mostly lived off of the rest of my salad greens, tuna with olive oil and dried tomatoes. Also a filling little mixture of coconut milk and whey powder. A bit of beef jerky and almonds, too.
- With very limited artificial light, my sleep rhythms seem more natural. Sleep around 8:30 or 9 pm (instead of my usual midnight), wake up when it starts to get light.
- A mile+ each way trek through the snow to get to a Target I heard was open so I could stock up on tuna and the like. Haul it all home in a bag over my shoulder.
- During the day, when it was nice and sunny, spent more time outdoors to take advantage.
- Nice leisure time spent with the cat, knitting and reading (what else but The Primal Blueprint!).
All that in a little over three days.
To those I would add a few other things it’ll allow (force) you to do:
Unwind, Completely and Utterly
It’s one thing to tell yourself, “Don’t check your email after 7 PM” and have your laptop staring at you all night, power light winking seductively. You can still hop on and log in. There’s nothing stopping you but your own will. It’s another thing to be physically unable to check your email. When the power is out, you can’t use electricity. You physically cannot access email (until the battery dies, at least), and this makes a huge difference. I’ve promised myself that I wouldn’t go online after dark only to “just sneak one last peek” before bed. Sometimes it’s good to remove temptation entirely so that you have no choice but to unwind. Removing electricity will remove temptation.
Spend Quality Time with Loved Ones
I mean really spend quality time with loved ones. Not sitting on the couch watching TV with the gang. Not Skype-ing each other from separate rooms in the same house. I’m talking look each other in the eye and exchanging words, telling jokes, playing board or card games, telling stories, laughing about old times, as well as engaging in more intimate pastimes characterized by unintelligible vocalizations. Face time, not FaceTime.
Disconnect from Electronic Media
We’ve gone over this one before, but now the rubber hits the road. This one’s for the political junkies who need their fix every hour on the hour, the Primal blogosphere addicts fastidiously checking every blog for new comments, the gamers, the chronic email/Twitter/Facebook checkers. Basically, it’s for everyone. And it will hurt, at first. You might get itchy, cranky, irritable. You’ll probably flip open your powerless laptop and check your dead phone a few times before you realize that THE POWER IS OUT AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT SOMEONE ON THE INTERNET IS SAYING ABOUT SOMETHING. That’s okay, though. Take several slow, deep breaths and settle in for the long (2-day) haul. It’s going to be okay. The benefits are many, of course, with the main objective being the lack of blue light messing with your circadian rhythm, but what about the simple fact that you will be forced to be in the moment without the crutch of electronic media? It’s hard, and a lack of electronic stimulation initially manifests as boredom and restlessness, but that will pass. Trust me.
Disconnect from All Media After Dark
Unless you go overboard with the candles, you’ll be hard-pressed to stay up late reading. Candlelight is still dim and still promotes sleep (by allowing melatonin secretion), and I dare you to read longer than an hour by candlelight. You might be able to; I can’t. I get too sleepy too fast. This is a good thing, I think. At the very least, it’s worth trying out for a couple days, if only to explore the inner workings of your own mind left to its own devices. We don’t get that very often, do we? A total lack of external stimulation is hard to come by these days. Whenever I go camping, I always bring a book with visions of hunkering down in the tent after dark, except it never happens. The book stays unopened, and I lie there amidst the awesome stillness of it all with my own thoughts. I bet you’ll have the same experience. Just don’t freak out, because the mind can be a pretty interesting, unnerving place!
Get Outside and Play
You know what I did when I was a kid and there was nothing good on TV and computers filled up entire rooms? I went outside and played. Without electricity to fall back on for entertainment, I bet you’ll get the hankering to go outside and scrounge up some of your own. There’s a ton of fun stuff outside (not to mention sacred stuff, too), much of which I’ve talked about before, but it takes effort. And when you can access millions of songs, movies, TV shows, books, and blogs with the touch of a few keys, effort-based entertainment starts looking like, well, too much effort. No more. Without electricity, all you’ve got is the entire world around you. A world you can taste, smell, grab, and climb. So get out there and do it! I mean, what else is there?
This is your chance to finally try out all the “other stuff” we write about around here. The blue light avoidance, the sleep cycle entrainment, the divestment from the tyranny of the LED, the socializing, the quietude, the time alone with one’s thoughts, the forest bathing – this is the time to actually do this stuff, rather than read about it and think to yourself, “Oh, that sounds interesting.” Now you actually have to do it.
A few tips:
- Don’t actually turn off power to your entire house. You might need it in an emergency, and I don’t think letting your refrigerated and frozen food spoil in the name of purity is worth it. Just turn off the laptop, the phone, the lights, and disconnect all elective electronics.
- Make sure your schedule is clear. Finish all your work and let people know that you’re going to be out of commission (and that they’re free to come visit in person!).
- Go longer if you can. Two days should be the minimum, but go for three or even four if you can manage it.
I love electricity and modern technology, and I appreciate all the luxuries it allows. But it’s also something I take for granted. It’s something I’ve come to expect as a given, an essential aspect of life that I give little thought to, like the presence of oxygen and the influence of gravity on everyday life. I think that’s probably true for most of us reading this post. This experiment, I think, will make that clearer than ever.
Once you’ve successfully completed your intentional power outage weekend, report back with your findings. Did you enjoy it? Was it more restful? Stressful? Was it unbearable? If so, why? Was it a nice surprise? How so? What did you learn? Did you sleep better? Is this something you’ll try to work into your daily life from now on, or was it a nice vacation but not anything you’d care to repeat? Give it an honest shot and let us know how it went!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I love this idea, but I live in the city and have streetlights streaming in through all the windows. Ive avoided getting curtains, though, because I want the natural light slowly building up in the mornings. Any ideas?
wooden blinds that you can pull all the way up during the day.
I recently was given a Yoga Eye Bag (i’m not that into yoga)and was wondering what to do with it… but since I have florescent artificial light streaming into my bedroom 24/7 from an open apartment stairwell – which is really bothersome now that its dark at 4:30pm here in Vancouver – I decided to give the eye bag thing a go. Its meant for meditation after a yoga class, to block out the light. It works really well for falling asleep, and by the time morning comes, its fallen off my eyes and the natural light can wake me up!
I’d love to hear some ideas too. I lived with my bro in Chicago for 5 weeks. Some nights I slept well and others I did not sleep so well because there was light shining in all night long.
Shift workers use “blackout” curtains.
http://www.bedroomblackout.com/
Or you can have dark curtains that extend past the window frame to minimise any lights at night and pull them aside to maximise the daylight.
One option is to keep the room dark and don’t worry about the daylight until you have removed any sleep debt you may have…..or keep your room dark on days off or during holidays.
But ensure any appointments are in the afternoon just in case or have an alarm clock in another room, set on radio for the best time to wake. I keep the volume down [unless I have an early appointment]so that if I am still in a deep sleep I don’t hear it.
Another option if you have blacked out your room is to have a light automatically turn on at dawn….which you will have to adjust for the seasons…..
Turn you bed into a ‘cave’ with dark curtains….
Have non-reflective furniture and paintwork etc…..
The options are endless…..
I just use a simple eye mask that my sister-in-law actually got all her bridesmaids. It’s super cheap, so it usually falls off in the middle of the night, but that just means there’s a better chance of the morning light waking me up again!
Simple eye mask? I need to get one of these. I’ll be living in Chicago till Thanksgiving and may go back after. Lights will be shining in from the windows!
I just added this to my cart: http://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Comfort-Black/dp/B000SKXRNO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320871616&sr=8-2
Should I buy? Do you have something like this?
“Light Pollution”caused by poorly designed and excessive lighting is bad for your health, disrupting your circadian rhythm. We need to start demanding better and less intrusive lighting. Maybe in a lot of places we don’t really need so much light. We could even see the stars again – now that’s a primal experience! Take a look at http://www.darksky.org – the International Dark Sky Association
Go camping.
Consider the streetlights shining in as being the full moon. Or, if you really must, blind yourself with dark glasses or a blindfold?
We put up black-out curtains and then invested in an alarm clock that slowly lights up over about a twenty minute period to simulate the sunrise. It also has the option to play various sounds (I like the singing birds) or the radio. The noise starts low and then builds. It’s not the same as natural light in the morning, but it’s the only option I have for making sure all the ambient light during the night doesn’t make its way into my bedroom.
Oooh… This is a lovely challenge!! Intimidating for a city-dweller.
I lived in Slovakia for 6 years and once spent 10 days in a cabin with no electricity, heat or plumbing (an after Christmas ski trip). We cooked on a wood stove and had to haul water from about 1/2 a mile away. It was a lot of fun and the only thing I missed was being able to wash my hair. I had many similar adventures while living there and remember them with great fondness.
Do you mean “not being able to wash your hair?” Just wondering…
Sounds like an absolute blast though. I will be trying all kind of stuff like this in the future when my financial situation is straight – I’m on my way!
No, she got the grammar right. She “missed” being “able” to wash her hair. Meaning, she couldn’t wash it.
Missing “not” being able to wash her hair is sort of a double negative…meaning, she was washing her hair and missed “not” being able to.
Cool. My husband is on his way home from Afghanistan for R&R so I have way too much on the to-do list to try this right now…but I’m thinking the first week in December will be a GREAT time…Can’t wait to hear how it goes for everyone!
this sounds a little like what happens in our house ( and other observant Jewish households) every Friday night.
The computers are shut down, the phones are off, cars are off limits, no TV, many people have guests (face time!) and going to sleep early just happens! It continues into Saturday (the Sabbath) when we walk to synagogue, again talk face to face with friends, play family games with the kids…etc. If there is a holiday before or following, then we get 2-3 days of the same! AND ITS AWESOME!
was just coming here to say this. *high five*
grok on, tribe member!
True, but you can set your heat so that you have some, and your stove to continually heat your food…. not exactly like being without power. But Shabbat can be sort of like a planned power outage.
I think I’m just grumpy since we’ve only had our power back for 4 days after not having it for 9. And no school for the kids for 11 days…
yikes!
I am always my happiest when in a natural setting with no blinking, buzzing, beeping, whirring, humming, blaring electronics around me. Just peace and, if not exactly quiet, at least a world of sounds that aren’t explicitly designed to elicit my fight-or-flight response every 17 seconds.
I already turn off all my screens and plug my phone in to charge out of sight and (mostly) out of mind pretty much as soon as I get home from work. I do leave electric lights on for cooking and whatnot until it is close to bed time, then it’s off with the lights and out with the oil candles to relax in the bedroom until it’s time to sleep. The other advantage to this is that it often leads to cuddling and talking with the Mate, which often leads to… well, other things.
Also, I never check email on weekends unless I have a specific message I want to send to someone about something important. And only personal email, never work. Weekends are much more recharging that way.
I’m surprised not more people do this forcefully over the winter all the time. We get power outages all the time and have candles stock piled.
I hate artificial lights and dont even turn them on when I go to the bathroom in the evenings.
I could live forever without electricity, already dont have a cell phone, no e-books or any other electronic device here, xept my alarm clock, and even that is always turned “off”…meaning it shows the time in black letters, but no lights to see them in the dark.
When I take baths I light a giant candle that smells like pine. No other lights on.
I sleep like a baby.
You get power outages all the time in the winter? Where do you live? I’m super curious. I live in Michigan where snow is quite present. Power may go out during blizzards like last year but this does not happen every year.
No cell phone? Really? I’ve actually had thoughts of ditching my cell phone too. But, it can come in handy for emergencies. It can be a benefit to have it on me while possibly being lost in the wild, in a ditch after sliding off the road in the winter, etc. And, at only $27 a month on the family plan its not a big expense.
We had an ice storm in my area a few years back that took out power, cable, and phone for about 10 days. the only drawback was my house uses an electric stove. So we had to cook on a propane burner outside. We got to know our neighbors very well. and have more good stories than bad.
I am involved with my son’s scout troop. We camp every month (yes even the winter). A great investment for surviving off the grid is the Boy Scout Handbook and the Field Guide. Both of these books can be bought by anyone and provide lots of good ideas and check lists to help you go without.
I like this idea a lot. Just need to find a time to do it, because I have two entirely non-PB housemates…
Lol. I’m in the same boat with, yes, my parents. Loving parents who are ok with me living here through Thanksgiving before I head down to Chicago with my bro who lives more primally when I stay with him.
Here, at the rents, the TV is on in the morning and again at night. It’s outrageously peaceful here even though they are both home. Holy shit… as soon as I began to type that sentence my mothers business phone rang. That is truly hysterical.
With all this being said, I, and probably you, can set a limit to when we use technology ourselves – or at least part of it.
I find myself on the computer late and I’ve been wanting to stop it. In order to actually engage in this I am going to have to announce it on my blog!
Suggestion: use technology to use technology…..can you have your computer shut down at a certain time in the evening…or set an alarm in your ‘office’ to remind you.
I have an alarm in the bathroom that goes off for one minute at 8pm.
Yep! just do it and will adjust….it took me two years to get the tv out of the bedroom…..no threats, no whining. Every now and then I just made a statement that it wasn’t to be replaced when it died. He adjusted…..one tv in the house is more than enough…..the sky didn’t fall in.
I am working on having a smaller tv and moving it from the “central fireplace” position in the lounge room when or if we replace it.
What an interesting idea to “primalize” – I’ve always wanted a cabin in the middle of no where with nothing but some horses and running water. No phones, electronics, power, TV… NOTHING. It would be so nice to get away!
I agree.
I would love to do this… you just gave me an idea…
Share!….create the “cabin effect” right in the middle of the house? Or in your bedroom? Or half/half, half the house primal and half modern?
I’m all ears….
Power outages are a regular occurrence here in NH – heck, we even lose it in the summertime in our neighborhood out in the country. Our power was also knocked out from that same storm that hit CT last weekend. It was somewhat relaxing, but it also opened us up to how dependent we are on electricity, and also how vulnerable we become without it (and without adequate preparation).
An exercise like this one you propose, Mark, is a valuable learning experience, but only if you see it as such – instead of a period of waiting to get back to your usual routine. It might be just the excuse someone needs to actually power down the PC at the end of the day.
What a great idea! Thank you for the post. But, as another reader suggested, the challenge for me is not electronic gadgets but “other people’s light.” For example, the town where I live keeps bright streetlights on all night. It is impossible to create real darkness even with curtains. We modern humans live in a cage, that’s for sure. It’s so weird, and sad, to realize that some of the bars of the cage are made from light.
I think the benefits of this are pretty much endless. But in reality the hardest thing for most people is the lack of distraction. No TV or internet is scary just because we have to keep ourselves occupied! Having to listen our own minds without getting stories from TV and internet is a daunting task.
True but I think we can all do it. I think taking baby steps is key. What if one just decided that they would do without all technology 15 minutes before the normal time?
Let’s say one is on the computer up until they crawl into bed. I’m sure there is an average time of let’s say 11. Why not shoot for turning off the computer at 10:45 and not touch the phone, tv, ipad, etc. as well? Sit and reflect on the day. Be grateful for all that he or she has.
Do this one night. I’d guess that most would wake up and realize that what they did was amazing. Hopefully they would be up for doing it again. Then, after a few days or a week, make it 10:30 and go on from there.
Some are awesome at going cold turkey while others need the baby steps. I prefer baby steps in most areas.
Having acoustic instruments in the house is wonderful when the grid goes down. I have a piano, guitar, cello and a few little toys. Keeping music alive is a blessed distraction, and great fun!
“Spend Quality Time with Loved Ones”
LOL
I might not have any loved ones left if I switch their electricity off for a weekend!!
Haha! This is the only thing preventing me from doing the same. Too bad because I’d really like to try it.
Lol I was thinking the exact same thing… it’d probably have to be a weekend alone for me!
Yeah, my family would never go for it. My kids maybe but my husband, oh no. Shame I’d love to do it. Maybe when I have a few hours to myself I can try a mini-challenge.
Just do it for one night. Announce to the family that no technology is allowed past Dinner. What’s the worst that could happen of just trying it for one evening? Play a board game instead. Cards. So much to do without technology.
I spent 12 seasons commercial fishing at a remote site in Alaska. No electricity at all. Used coleman lamps and stove. Transistor radio with one station for entertainment. Slept in a tent or uninsulated cabin. Drinking water obtained from stream. Heat via woodstove. Cut all my own firewood. I really loved that lifestyle. Felt much healthier during the 6-8 weeks I spent doing it despite all the heavy work involved.
“Despite” all the heavy work? How about partly because of it?
I’d do this in a heartbeat. How did you stumble upon this lifestyle for that time period?
I wanna marry you! JK
I, too, love living in the wild. Every chance I get, I go to the woods and camp along a 2-track road near Lake Michigan.
What with our weather lately, I could have fit in a camp last weekend too but the downed leaves were calling me to rake and make compost.
Living in the wild is the best time for life style contemplation.
Cheers – Pam
You just pretty much told my story! Last week’s Oct. power outage was what flipped my internal Primal switch, I woke up & remembered how it felt to live primal, I loved having no electricity & living basically. With no computer or movies I actually started reading books again!
I read The Other Side of the Mountain which is a great model of Primal living. It led me back into Primal eating (after falling off the wagon for several months & gaining back all my weight) & I have been working on my blog. As soon as we got power back the first thing I did was to delete my Facebook account. I have committed to eating Primal for the next year & just ordered your book. (finally) One day I really hope to live even more simply than I already do, maybe even minus electricity & a computer. This just really demonstrates how this is not just a diet. It is a mentality that becomes connected to everything in your life. Thanks for sharing, I hope to have my own experience & thoughts posted on my blog in the near future.
This is a great challenge. It would be interesting to see how the experience changes when it’s planned versus unexpected. Growing up in rural New Hampshire, we were without power for over a week on many occasions. Pretty “experiential” when you’re snowed in at the same time!
I’ve actually been doing this the last two weeks. I’ve always put limits on when to use computer/tv, but I decided to go powerless these weeks, at least at home. It’s been great. Sleeping deeply and well, less stress, and I really enjoy my bedtime reading by candlelight. The fact that evening means candles has forced me to get better organized with my time during the day, too.
What types of books do you read? I’d love to read by candle light at around 8 pm or so until I feel like I’m about to fall asleep. For the past 1.5 years I’ve only been reading primal related books. I’m reading Mark’s new book right now and wish to read “Sugar Nation” over again.
Both of my sisters and good friend who has lost 100 pounds living primally love Harry Potter.
Tell me folks… should I start? I’ll be able to borrow the books for free. Ok, why not do it?
I just finished a book called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and I loved it. A truly amazing story. About a guy who was an Olympic runner who was later drafted in WWII and was stranded on a life raft before being taken as a POW by the Japanese.
The Harry Potter books are great. They are so much better than the movies because you get so much more detail. Plus, I don’t know about anyone else but, when I read I have a movie playing in my head anyway.
Bedtime reading by candlelight sounds like a good way discover fire. And not in a good way.
…my thoughts too….but I have decided to look in the homeware department for elegant candle holders with glass covers or maybe attach them to the wall above or beside the bed…..what do you think? Doable….
Sounds like a great idea, but all I can think of is my winter store of frozen berries thawing out, and my expensive grass-fed beef and eggs going bad. And I’m a dainty lady and I like my flush toilet, thankyouverymuch.
For a second I was tempted to switch over to the emergency preparedness websites.
I guess the way I would do it would be to separate out the vitals (fridge/freezer/heat/water) from the non-vitals (light, other electrics), and power down the non-vitals on a timer.
Or I could just go camping…
You don’t literally shut off your power… just get away from technology like the computer, tv, etc.
I used to love the ice-storm induced, Yuletide power outages we had growing up. The whole family huddled together playing games in the evening (I played outside most days even with the power on), sleeping in the same room because we had no way to keep our metal trailer warm with no electric heat, boiling water fetched from a nearby spring because the pipes froze….
I would love to give this a try, but will have to work out a way to do it while living in group housing. Hmmm….
How am I supposed to go to sleep and wake up with the sunlight in the winter? It’s dark at 6 pm and stays dark until 7 am. And next month it will be dark at 5 pm and the sun won’t rise until 8 am. I can’t sleep that long…
You don’t have to go to sleep at sundown. Light some candles or an oil lamp and read, or play a game, or sit and chat if you have company, until you get sleepy. Then go to sleep. You’ll end up naturally waking up at sunrise or a little before with no effort after a few days.
Exactly. Not that I wish to do exactly what Grok did BUT, grok was up past dark for sure. Bonfire anyone?
I love this idea overall and will be experimenting with it. I’ll be announcing a challenge on my blog when I’m ready.
There’s a book about a gal and her three teenage children who did this for 6 months. Not a full power outage–merely total separation from wired devices.
It’s called Winter of Our Disconnect by Susan Maushart.
sounds good
I’ve been intrigued by this idea since coming across this article (http://jdmoyer.com/2010/03/04/sleep-experiment-a-month-with-no-artificial-light/) a few months ago. I’m planning to give it a good long go during my summer break over Xmas – but might just have to do some shorter practice runs…
PS. Damn you Mark Sisson, I need to buy some new pants because I’ve lost so much weight since starting and (mostly) continuing with the 30-day challenge in September… 8)
My husband and I also experienced benefits after we lost power here in Rhode Island for a few days following hurricane Irene.
I felt like I had never truly experienced ‘darkness’ (and living in the city, even with this power outage, I know that still wasn’t ‘true’ darkness), but… this was incredible to me. We had a freezer chock-full of a grassfed beef; a 1/4 side of beef. We just felt fortunate that nothing beyond a power outage was happening… we didn’t end up losing any of our beef anywho. We took the opportunity to eat a considerable amount less. We have gas heat, however, and still cooked at least one meal… it was wonderful.
Everyone on our street was losing their minds; we could literally hear people shouting obscenities with regard to the power outage. We were so calm, so balanced… we had such fun. We never slept so well in our lives. Admittedly… we were a little disappointed when the power returned.
Now, 95% of the time, we don’t even bother to use electricity. In the evening, perhaps a small lamp, or candle… we do, however, find ourselves on our computers often. Regardless, since this ‘happening’, we pretty much let the outside light guide how the ‘inside light’ should be.
Recently, we strayed from these patterns (my husband had an oral surgery, so we were sleeping/awake at strange times). I am so anxious to have my sleeping habits fall back to where they were!
Fun, fun idea! I think my kids would enjoy the challenge too!
Anyone else using the time change to reset their inner clock? I had been going to bed well after 11 most nights. This week though, it feels like 11 at 10 so I am using it to get myself back on track and just go to bed! For the first time ever I am grateful for the whole daylight savings concept.
This experiment will no doubt result in adding to the population explosion.
Lol!
Remember The Great Northeast blackout of 2003? It lasted for days, and 9 months later………you got it.
At our house it does result in more activity that used to lead to conception when we were younger.
I live alone, and am unemployed to boot. While I like the idea of being less-reliant on technology, and have spent large portions of the last year without it due to extenuating circumstances, my computer gives me a link to the “outside” world. I do try to power down earlier than I used to, but I spend so much time alone that having that outlet keeps me sane!
So much to learn from this post. It brings to mind a favorite quote:
“An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.” – G.K. Chesterton
Which essentially means that we can take an inconvenience and turn it into an adventure. It seems to me that that’s exactly what Melissa did.
And, as the post points out, why wait for the grid to fail to have all the fun?
Never underestimate the power of the disconnect. That’s what I tell myself on weekends, when I remove myself entirely from email and Twitter except for the rarest exceptions. It’s powerful indeed. I highly recommend it.
Love the idea of extending disconnect to all media after dark. Moving things around a bit in our schedules, this is something I’ll bet many of us could do for sure.
In 2 weeks I’m having major foot surgery. For many months after that, I’ll be completely non-weight bearing. Which means I won’t be able to do what’s become one of my favorite things – stand in my kitchen chopping mountains of vegetables, preparing Primal food, and listening to NPR.
This is going to change things for me in ways that parallel the snowstorm’s impact on Melissa. Like her, I’ll have to manage with simpler fare. (Avid Primal follower that I am, I’m already stocking my freezer and pantry, much like Grok would prepare for winter).
My, how resourceful we folks are on this blog! All good, you know?
Good luck in your surgery. We’ll be here
I can attest to the wonderful things that happen when you turn off the power. I am an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts (former scoutmaster), and I love nothing better than to take a weekend off without electronics. I always sleep well (unless the boys are misbehaving
. Last summer, we did a ten day hike at the Philmont scout ranch. My scouts used the emergency cell phone to call home once, when we hit the top of Mt. Phillips (~2 miles high) and were sitting on the rocks watching the sunset over New Mexico and Colorado. It was an awesome moment. Everyone needs a moment like that. Get out in the wilderness. Leave your electronics at home. You will be glad you did.
Just talked to my (very non-primal) roommate about this, and she’s all for it! She plays guitar so it should be fun!