Quiet Darkness

Last night the electricity went out unexpectedly. It’s not an uncommon occurrence in our rural home; my husband jokes that a leaf fell on the power line. He called the power company and heard the typical recording “You are part of a known outage.” 

We lit candles. My daughter and I who had both been reading continued uninterrupted. I lit my book with my cell phone flashlight, and she continued reading her ebook on her backlit screen. 

As the sun went down and the darkness increased, sounds changed. We often have music playing in the house. My daughter pointed out that she didn’t have batteries in her keyboard, so we couldn’t even listen to her practicing. The frequent hum of the air conditioner was completely absent. 

She lit her candle with a  wood-wick and I noticed it’s constant soft noise. I heard frogs and birds outside our windows. 

But inside, it was mostly dark, quiet, and peaceful. 

This morning all is back to normal. The air conditioner just clicked off, and I noticed the refrigerator’s noise. Isn’t it interesting how losing something can make us more aware of what we still have? 

We are so blessed.