Thursday, March 09, 2006
what it means to live in a developing country
It was a beautiful night last night - no storm, no strong wind, a gentle sunset with a sky that twisted you up inside for all of its pinks, purples and blues. Calm. Gentle. And just as the sun was inching towards the horizon, all the power went out in our neighobrhood. No reason, no car accident tumbling a pole, no sudden tempest tearing down lines. It just went out. I had a phone meeting in the States when there was no power. My partner, ever smart and resourceful, had made sure we had a non-electric phone so I switched it with the electric dead one, called Minneapolis, and by the light of candles and my laptop, talked about nonprofit fundraising. After the call, while the batteries lasted, we cuddled our daughter by the light of the Macintosh.
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5 comments:
Funny, isn't it? By non-electric, I mean a phone that you just plug directly into the phone jack - just like you said - although it's not attached to the wall. There is no answering machine part, no caller ID capabilities, none of the bells and whistles that eat electricity. Simple phones are actually surprisingly hard to find - this one cost about five dollars.
I love the last line...cuddling by the light of the Macintosh. Funny. Thank god you have that fancy piece of machinery. If our power went out, we'd have nothing to cuddle by.
yeah, but you'd have flashlights, a camping lantern, fifty candles and so on. And everything would be in its place so even though it was pitch dark, you'd be able to find it. And the batteries would be fresh. And, sniff sniff, you'd have each other.
Are you suggesting that we could bask in the glow of our organizational skills?
Hahah, read your story then the comments ... realized I was the only one who actually always made sure we have just such a phone in our house ..... says something about my age, I guess!!!
Mom
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