Power outages shine a light on the power of timing
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We’ve had tons of Loadshedding recently. Our power even went out twice on one day this weekend. But I’ve noticed something is interesting. Not all power cuts are created equal. Are some of them 5 hours and some of them 1 hour only? No – these days they are all 2.5 hours. But they don’t feel the same.
A power cut from 6.30 to 9.00 am means I can’t make coffee. And traffic lights also need electricity so taking my daughter to school is going to take double or triple as long as usual. If the power is out from 9.00 am to 11.30 am then I am having video conferencing meetings in the dark. From 5.00 pm to 7.30 pm means we can’t cook dinner or watch our favorite TV show at the end of a long day. Each timeslot during the day comes with its own unique set of frustrations, inconveniences and annoyances.
But last night we had Loadshedding from 8.00 to 10.30 pm and it was actually quite a positive experience. We finally watched the Robocop remake movie with our daughters and started it just in time to finish just as the power went out. We performed our bedtime routines by candlelight. Instead of annoying it was strangely peaceful. In fact, it was really very nice.
As a side note, my youngest daughter had a brilliant and amusing suggestion for Eskom. She proposed that they do all their Loadshedding overnight when it would not disrupt people’s lives. This is a great idea although we had to burst her bubble by explaining that what makes it a great time for us also, unfortunately, makes it a terrible time for Eskom. Cutting out power when we don’t need it does precious little for the grid the next day when the power generation cannot keep up with demand.
Perhaps there is a lesson in all this about how the same thing can be experienced very differently at different times of the day. There may also be a lesson about the value of learning to “go with the flow” and make the most of any moment. I’m reminded of that ancient proverb about lemons and lemonade. Either way, it has been interesting to observe my own response to the power outages and specifically to how it differs depending on the time of day, day of the week, and what my goals are at that moment.