What blessings have YOU received as a result of the Blackout in San Diego? As a reader of signs, I paid attention to my reaction, the reaction of the community, nature around me, and the obvious (but not accessible messages if one got plugged into fear).
We were planning a Temple Priestess class that evening, which was canceled. I was grateful for the blessings of a smart phone, a car charger to keep it going, a half-tank of gas in my car, and the fact that my “timing” guides had me return home just at 3:45 pm (about when the power went out), when under “normal” circumstances I would have driven to the coast early to set up for class. After the flurry of activity to contact everyone to cancel, I settled in, gathering flashlights, batteries, portable radio, and made myself dinner.
I sat on my porch, grateful that I’d made extra baked chicken the day before. I listened to the radio for a while, to get an idea of how long the blackout might last, and then I turned it off, to enjoy the unusual twilight and then the gathering moonlight that carried a mystical quality. As I gazed at the moon, I realized that the stars would probably be more visible, even with the almost-full moonlight, due to the “dark sky” conditions without the usual ambient light from electrical power. I sent text messages to those in the priestess community whose phone numbers I had saved, saying “go out and look at the stars” because we don’t get many opportunities to see them in the city.
What were my blessings and lessons? Well, I learned that I needed a propane stove for boiling water (all of my appliances in the new place are electric). I’m learning that filling your car with gas at the half-full point is just as easy as when it reaches empty, and a whole lot smarter. I learned not to let my phone battery run out completely, too. Some lessons I was grateful for learning before—having all my other supplies on hand, including emergency water. And, I was grateful for my grounding and centering exercises that allowed me to see the beauty of our ‘enforced time out’—the twilight, moon and stars. The experience redoubled my gratitude for all the things that are powered by the grid—refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines. We are truly blessed and sometimes need a reminder to pay attention.
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