We are still out of power. One of my piano students informed me that the power might not even be reconnected until Thursday. So, we went to the store yesterday and bought candles and an extra flashlight and are “roughing” it. I just hope we get power back before Shabbos! I’m very grateful that at least we have a home to be in, and not one which is submerged or gone. Thank G-d. Also, I’m grateful that I have a gas stove, so I can still cook, and our hot-water heater is gas also, so we have hot water.

This whole lack of power thing reminded me of learning about life in pre-electricity Europe. People would get up when the light filtered in through the window, and they would go to sleep when the sun went down. Candles were extremely expensive, so they were saved for Shabbos, unless you were very wealthy. I’m sure some Torah scholars made sacrifices so they could learn at night by candlelight. But life revolved around natural light. We’ve gotten quite out of touch with the natural rhythm of things. Not that I mind having electricity, mind you. I don’t relish the idea of manually washing clothes, dishes, um, walking everywhere, etc.

However, it is kind of awe-inspiring to wake up as the sun is rising (mind you, the only reason I was actually conscious was because I was taking my husband to work), and to think about the opening of Shulchan Aruch (the code of Jewish law), which says really, we should get up with the sun to best serve our Creator. I’m working on that one…

After I dropped my husband off at the hospital, I went straight to Starbucks and plugged in my laptop and my phone. Now I’m going to return to my quiet house and discover what I can do with no electricity.