The Deliberate Power Outage

I have found in the past that when a storm comes and we lose power it is a fairly interesting time for the family. We grab flashlights, light candles, and then (miracle of miracles) we sit together in the living room and talk to each other. This always ends up being a blessing.

My suggestion to you is that you pick a day a month when you cut the power to your house deliberately, and the reap the benefits of the timeless “people sitting together around a fire” event that inevitably follows. Imagine back before electricity – it should not take much imagination to see that people in older times got more interaction with one another. These days (to personify an inanimate object) the television seems like it expects to have people’s attention most of the time, and it usually gets it. Passively sitting in front of the tube seems like a birthright to the kids – and that is an awful thing.

Instead, cut the power once in a while after dark. If you have kids, it will unnerve them a little bit. That’s a good thing. Give them a candle, and then spend an hour sitting together in front of the fireplace. Talk to each other. It is the best use of an hour that you can imagine.