How It All Began … and What I Experienced

October 29, 2011 – I am finally ready to take a yoga class that I’ve been promising myself for over a year, and so, of course, the snow that was predicted this a.m. has arrived 2 hours early. Still, the yoga studio is only 10 minutes away by car, so despite the fact that most people forget how to drive in snow over the summer, I’m going!!

That was my state of mind the day that the big snowfall of more than 16” of heavy, soggy snow feel in Connecticut and knocked out electricity for nearly 2 weeks. I went to the yoga class, and afterwards, did something I had never done before a storm – I stopped and filled the gas tank and went to the ATM for some cash. Maybe it was the breaking of a branch of a very young tree near the yoga studio when I came out to find nearly 4” of snow had fallen on my car in about 90 minutes.

So home I headed, ready for a hot tub with Epsom salts, only to have the power turn off before I could get into the bath. I stayed relatively dirty and somewhat stiff for 12 days of electrical outage.

It is my opinion that you can never be fully prepared for the unexpected. After all, isn’t that what “unexpected” means? The Experiment in International Living teaches us to “expect the unexpected” when travelling abroad, but I think that this slogan is actually a good metaphor for life. This is even more true today as the ascension energies continue to flow in and to change our physiology.

Anyway, I had some candles, some flashlights, and a lantern. I have a Coleman camping stove that uses propane, and I had some of that, too. I had some bottles filled with water for drinking and for flushing the toilet. So I did what I have learned to do: I opened my heart to gratitude and appreciation, those amazing energies that put us into a place of receiving, and I gave thanks for everything that I already had and would be receiving. Then I said, “I know that everything will be taken care of perfectly. Thank you. So be it.”

I’m sure you don’t need to read a blow-by-blow description of how I spent the next 12 days, but I do want to share a few very precious aspects of this experience with you.

1. I had purchased an L. L. Bean down comforter in August and it kept me, Violet, and Sakhara snug and warm despite the temperature in the house staying mostly at 45 degree Fahrenheit, day and night.
2. If you are going camping, sleeping on a sofa is much better than sleeping on the hard ground, at least for my physical body. Yes, it’s a bit tight with two cats insisting on being there with you, but the warmth and snuggling was wonderful.
3. Reconnecting with nature – the blessed quiet – seeing the stars at night, no longer blocked out by street lamps – enjoying the beauty of the snow fall – nothing can compare to this.
4. Doing the physical work of lighting a fire, keeping it going, hauling water, and so forth, actually felt good. By dark, I was ready to sleep and I slept very well every night – except the first one when the
   

   To determine the extent of the damage, they had to use helicopters because nearly all the roads were blocked.

   sounds of trees twisting and breaking and falling and landing with great crashes was both scary and sad.

5. Using my ingenuity to problem solve – like putting old horse buckets under the dripping roof to collect water for the toilets – gave me a sense of empowerment.

Perhaps the greatest gift of all was living in the NOW moment. I would wake up in the morning and think, “What am I going to do today?” Without a phone, without a computer, it seemed as though I had nothing at all to do.

But as soon as I crawled out from under that warm comforter, it was very clear what I had to do, i.e., put on some more clothes, light some candles, start a fire, get a cup of hot tea, warm water to warm the cat’s raw food. Once I had done those things, the rest of each day lined itself up immediately.

Each day was completely FULL of doing the basic things that needed to be done. It gave me a great appreciation for our ancestors, who had no electricity ever and had to work physically very hard to accomplish the basics of survival. And it was fun to discover that I COULD do it all.

Namaste,
Nedda