When driving home yesterday I did not notice anything different, until I got off of the freeway and all of the traffic lights on our road home were out. There were crazy drivers using the turn lane as a passing lane, people running through lights, honking, and all kinds of craziness and chaos. Tim, Addy, and I were supposed to have dinner with friends. Needless to say, I got home about the time we were supposed to be at dinner. Didn't matter though, the restaurant would not have had power anyways. San Diego Blackout of 2011 had already happened.
To see the extent of the damage (how many lights were out, what the traffic was looking like) and to occupy ourselves, we took a walk. We were not the only ones. There were people everywhere. Everyone out of their houses, walking around, chatting with neighbors to compare information, kids playing in the streets, dogs randomly barking. It was a great feeling to see so many people out and about. It reminded me of how people want to connect with each other but don't often take the time.
On our way home we made a game plan. Do not open the freezer, open the fridge to get out all of the extremely perishable food and use our gas stove to cook dinner. We ended up with a gourmet meal of pasta with all kinds of yummy toppings. Addy went to bed early, like usual, and Tim & I decided to sit outside on our balcony, drink some wine, and listened to the noises of a neighborhood without power. I loved sitting there with my monkey and talking. Not talking about anything super important but enjoying each others company. We don't get to do enough just sitting and talking. It seems there are always places to go, things to do, shows to watch, fantasy football research to do and we don't take enough time to just enjoy the little things.
So I am writing this post to remind myself of how happy I was last night when I went to bed. To make sure I spend time "unplugged" and really treasure the time I am given with those I love and to take time to get to know those around me.
2 comments:
I love this post! How neat to see everyone out and about and talking to each other - something rare these days. We're so "connected" to our phones/ipads/laptops/TV's that we forgot to stop and enjoy what's most important - well that and just our everyday lives. So happy that you guys had some time to just sit and relax together :)
We enjoyed it too! The kids played in the backyard and Justin, Renee, and I sat around the table chatting and listening to the radio. We had bought beer and ice and put it in an ice chest in the backyard too! LOL! :) I think we should have lights out more often!
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