Snovember

Snovember

So Thanksgiving week was a crazy one. Monday started with the threat of some light snow flurries and ended with three inches of snow.  On Tuesday it escalated into a wind storm, which then resulted in island-wide and county-wide power outages (60,000 people in Kitsap County) – which, is actually a big deal when it is like 20 degrees. Folks were stranded on roads and at grocery stores, waiting out the storm.

Life Stops

But, with the power out and roads too icy to drive life sort of stopped. We were fortunate to be home Monday afternoon when things got dicey. I was a little panicked getting our youngest home from school, because her school is at the top of a hill, a hill that was littered with cars in ditches on the way up (never a good sign), but we made it (love the Volvo 4X4).

So, after we were all home safe and sound, it did not take us long to realize you pretty much cannot do the things you normally do when you are stuck at home because of snowy/icy roads and have no power or internet.  You can’t play Wii, watch Netflix, go to your friend’s for a playdate . . . or get some work done.

Unplugged and Ok

I must say, coming into the holiday, I was feeling a bit overloaded by my computer, phone and social media, so I think the timing was pretty ok. That said, we are going on day four of no Internet, and now I am getting grumpy. But, I am thankful for my little iPhone, which enabled me to work and connect with clients near and far. Luckily we have power now and super luckily we have a propane stove and a cook top that gave us heat and soup during the outage. I am also thankful we live in town, walking distance to Safeway and Town and Country Market.

Talking and Walking

So, what do you do when there is no power? This week we read and we talked and we walked and the kids did a bunch of sledding. I finished three books stacked next to my bed, all left partially unread from the frenzy of fall. Things were mellow and we ate dinner by candles and the kids really did not complain at all. They enjoyed sleeping on the fold-out sofa next to the propane stove. Out of the ordinary is fun for kids, remember.

Two snow days this week = two days of sledding.

One great thing about living on this beautiful island is that when I am feeling depleted and overstressed, I walk or run in a majestic place like along the water at Fort Ward, the Grand Forest or Battle Point Park. It is my recharge, my reboot. I did not have that in the city we lived in for 8 years.

Unplanned Reboot . . .or a Crash

So, this week was a major reboot. The kind you hope for when you plan a trip to Hawaii or a weekend away. But, this one was better, because it was unplanned, did not cost anything, and came over the holiday that reminds you what really matters.

I know I am thankful for my happy, healthy children, my healthy, kind and amazing husband, and my wonderful, warm home on this beautiful island. I am also grateful for my health and for family and friends near and far. All of today’s advances and technologies are supposed to make life easier, but I think they just make us more accountable, which in turn often results in pressure and stress. The days will inevitably become normal again as power and internet are being restored and roads are now cleared. But, I know this little impromptu respite from the norm will become a fond memory, one we will indeed long for on some of those long, normal days.

Snow on Bainbridge