Power outage

New Delhi, 2012. The electricity goes off. Right after a loud explosion. Most likely a transformer that’s blown in the neighborhood.

It’s late afternoon when shadows lengthen and shade our second floor flat. I sit in the dark. And wait. 

The mental checklist forms automatically. Honed by long experience. If it’s an extended power outage, there are things to do.

Checklist

The meat in the freezer will have to be cooked after a certain point.  

Sooner or later, perishables in the refrigerator will be transferred to the freezer. To stay cool amid thawing bags of ice cubes that we store there. Just in case. 

Laundry. Hmm. Feeling grateful I finished a load earlier in the day. It’s hanging on the drying racks. Thankfully, the little washing machine wasn’t in the middle of a cycle this time when the transformer blew. 

Plan B

Silence. Somewhere the automatic battery-powered light comes on. Set purposefully in a dark corner of the flat. 

Eventually it will light the small kitchen that has no windows. And I’ll prepare dinner on our countertop gas stove. Scrapping plans for baking in the countertop electric oven (picture an oversized toaster oven). 

Power outages often call for Plan B.

Check those expectations

Years before, our first overseas assignment is in Karachi. And the power outage sends me into a panic. Interrupts my agenda. 

Frustration builds. How can I accomplish all that’s needed? 

But in time, these predictably unpredictable electricity interruptions teach my organized, driven self to stop. Wait. 

Check those expectations at the door. 

Recognize that everything doesn’t have to fit my plan. Or follow a certain schedule.

Creativity

Accepting the reality awakens creativity. And helps me view it as an adventure. Some days.

Figuring out a meal gameplan. Sometimes on a one- or two-eye gas countertop stove. Think casserole in a pot. Or stirfry. Making use of what most needs to be cooked. Before it spoils.

Soup. Lots of soup. We don’t starve on those power outage days.

Changing up evening routines. No lights means making up word games in the dark. Inventing stories together. Each person adding a sentence or a word as we go around the room. 

Knock-knock jokes. So many knock-knock jokes.

Challenges

Staying cool in the heat of Karachi is a challenge. Sometimes we shower in our pajamas and lie down on the tile floor. This works until even the tile floor starts feeling warm. 

Reading by candlelight may sound romantic, but it’s a chore. You can make it through a children’s book reasonably well. But probably not a novel. 

And keeping flashlights in strategic places prevents a lot of stumbling in the dark. 

His ongoing plan

Remembering and reflecting, I come back to the most important lessons learned. During lengthy power outages. 

We can trust the Sovereign One. He has an ongoing plan for our lives through unexpected interruptions and challenging environments. 

His proven pathway—abiding in Christ—gives meaning to the mundane and upside downs.

While electricity fails and water shortage limits, His love never fails. His Word is always true. His Spirit continues teaching us His ways. 

Day by day by day. 

What about you?

What are some ongoing challenges you face where you live? Have you discovered creative approaches for living through these? What helps you remember to trust Him day by day?

Related

Place – Looking for beauty – Night sky – Keeping a sense of humor – Missing beauty – Last word, His Word – 

Note

During the month of August, I’m taking a writing break. So, I’ll re-post a random selection of blogposts from years past. This writing was originally published in April 2020.