With the power now restored throughout much of the Southern Californian region following a countywide blackout, it's business as usual around these parts.
Watching the city dismayed by this state of emergency provided much perspective and insight as to how incredibly fortunate we are to live in such a remarkable area.
The city's inoperable stoplight systems gave rise to the complete gridlock of stopped traffic (and stretched patience) throughout.
The mother in me began to gather reinforcements; candles, batteries, flashlights, radio, ice to stuff in the ice chest, blankets, canned goods, water and actually locate the six year old Red Cross survival kit buried in the depths of the garage.
Meanwhile, the renegade in me deeply longed to hop onto a motorcycle to venture out into the darkness. Sensibility eventually prevailed in this way of this thinking (as did not owning a motorcycle as of yet).
Which turned out to be a very good thing.
What was considered a regional crisis, turned out the be one of the most delightful evenings we have seen in quite some time.
Leave it to the local neighborhood heroes to rally a surprise power outage pow-wow.
A collective of beautiful souls gathered for a blackout celebration of love, aliveness and a magnificent potluck.
A collective of beautiful souls gathered for a blackout celebration of love, aliveness and a magnificent potluck.
Within the span of an hour, the dear neighborfolks donned their LED camping headlamps and assembled a feast of delicious grilled morsels composed from freezer fetchings throughout the vicinity.
Between the near 25 of us, we managed to forage steaks, sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, a roast, why even a balsamic shredded cabbage salad was prepared by flashlight!
Every thriving neighbor came out from the woodworks, from longtime residents, a 14 year old teen, a very pregnant champion (hoping all the while to not go into labor), and an adventurous soul (who lost her way when running out of gas en route to her downtown hotel) joined in the twilighty blowout before being safely escorted to her initial location.
Turning the gloomy-doom into a collective gathering bursting with beautiful humans and high spirits as we dined as a family by candlelight.
The merriment continued following the hearty meal as we:
drank and shared refreshments
sang campfire songs with local musicians
danced a barefoot tango on the cool sand
swam in the deep black sea
high fived the kids as the radio announced the closing of all San Diego schools
delighted in the performances of the Cape Mayhem Fire Cavalry
The evening then settled into a dusky sanctuary where nightdreamers could flight their midnight fancies on a beach stroll beneath a full-moonlit sky.
and we basked in the enchantment of it all
Why I'm just tinkled pink by the unexpected magic we created in the face of adversity.
As it turns out the countywide state of emergency seemed to create much adieu about nothing. The entire ruckus was really rather a slight inconvenience for most.
It did however, serve to remind us of what an incredible sense of love and community we can create when we put aside a small moment in time to appreciate and share gratitude for the things that truly matter amongst the muckety-muck of life's nuances.
We should have blackouts far more often.
x
6 comments:
That was extremely well-written. I too had a very similar experience =)
What a lovely description of last night! And I agree, blackouts should happen more often...hopefully next time I won't be at the eleventh hour of pregnancy! Love my neighbors! muah!
Ringo that was beautifully said ! Thank you for the description of your improvised celebration of community! Carol XOO
Thank you kindly allofyous for the warm and fluffy words! Us lucky souls have it made with beautiful friends and a beautiful place to call home x
I am glad that many had a good time. I was stuck in a building with no way to get out. Doors were all electrical (at least I wasn't stuck in the elevator like my neighbor). It was lonely, sad, dark, hungry, and I wish I had had the experiences you all had. If I could have seen the stars or be with a loved one, eat or see, it woulnd't have been so bad.
Oh dear! I'm sorry to hear about your blackout experience. I do hope you were able to use that time to reflect and find gratitude for the things you do have x
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