Last week I spent the weekend with no electricity. No lights, hot water, and no internet. A millennials worst nightmare. And no….this was not on purpose. As I came in the apartment to all of this going on, I was frustrated. I had the biggest week of retail coming up, which meant working 24/7 on my computer, I am a freak about my showers, and my fridge was SOL. All the food was done.
For about 10 minutes I let this piss me off, but quickly I realized how minute this actually was. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the natural disasters California has been experiencing recently. Fires all over the state. As a result, families have been left homeless, their loved ones have passed away and memories they had in their possession were forever gone.
Perspective quickly began to settle in. My lack of electricity was a problem, but it was nothing to be worked up over. I instantly felt grateful that I knew it would be back on soon and looked at the next few days as a challenge. A challenge to focus on the small things I take for granted every day of my life. For the last 25 years I have always had warm water, lights and easy access to a comfortable living situation (well, minus hostels and other travel experiences).
During these few days I found myself the happiest I have ever been. Even though I didn’t have any of the amenities I usually have, it reminded me that these small things we take for granted are in fact luxuries of life and should be appreciated every single day.
In our society we are constantly searching for the next thing to make us better, greater and more happy. However, we fail to realize some of the most amazing aspects of our life happen every single day. It’s not until those are taken away, even for a second, do we realize how fortunate we truly are.
This is a quick lesson, but a big one. Are you not feeling happy recently? Are you searching for something that is going to fill a void? Here is what I recommend. Start here. Start moving slower throughout your day and be in the present moment. Think about some of the “mundane” and routine actions you take. When you sip your warm coffee, let the warm cup soothe your hands. When you get in your car, turn on your favorite song and enjoy the ability to be able to hear and see. Turn off the lights in your room and enjoy the darkness. Turn on a candle and smile at the way the flames light up the room. Take away some of the things you tend to use every day and you will start to find how amazing they really are.
My lights are back on, wi fi is better than ever, and my fridge is full. I’m happy, but even happier to have had a weekend without all of that. I think we might all need our power to go out sometimes;)
Happy Thanksgiving Tribe, Babes.
