Scrabble

It's not just a game

I have now had a week to contemplate life without caffeine, electricity, water, cell service, or internet, and I have to say that aside from the obvious inconveniences, and only because we are safe and know it will end at some point, it has a lot to recommend it for the short-term. We have had some of the best conversations we’ve ever had with Feliks, in dark, candlelit rooms. I have finished reading three books so far, made potholders by candlelight, and lost 5 pounds. Not that I recommend this particular weight loss plan, by any means. But the rest—complete with Scrabble games at night—has been a balm. Of course, this is only so because we are comparatively safe, dry, and well-supplied now that the urgency of the first few days is behind us and neighbors have helped us. We have created a rhythm of life without power.

This is not true for those who have lost their homes or businesses, of course. And if the 75-foot tree that hit our house and cars had fallen four inches to the left, it…