What I Did On Vacation

It may have only been 60 minutes, but I did quite a lot during Earth Hour.  Alerted to the event only two minutes before it started, I had to move quickly.  Lighter found, blueberry muffin candle lit.  From there, I could find more candles and place them strategically in the house.  8:30 lights out.  

Not interested in a meditative experience, I wanted to see how productive I could be with no electricity.  How Little House on the Prairie would I get?  There was no butter churning, but I did finish a sink full of dishes plus some.  I also made dinner, washed a ton of vegetables, and learned a few things.  

Today, after holding a decidedly un-productive conversation with a client, I decided that people these days attempt to do too much at once.  There are a few people who can successfully perform multiple activities simultaneously, like talk on the phone, hail a cab, shop for toothpaste, and chew gum, but most people need a do over at some point.  Have you ever been on a the phone with someone who is obviously otherwise engaged in email or driving?  And have you ever found yourself at home after going grocery shopping, and you forgot the one thing you set out to purchase?  Am I the only one this happens to?  People get distracted.  Today's un-productive (not to mention, disproportionately long) conversation could have been totally avoided, had said client just done one thing at a time.  He couldn't hear me because he was in a busy train station, had already clicked out of the screen that had the necessary information to tell me what he was interested in, and he really had no intention of committing to an appointment.   We were useless to each other, and he decided to call back later.  A simple sounding exchange, but it took ages to come to this agreement.  Trust me, there's a point to this anecdote.  

When I washed the dishes by candlelight, I didn't poke myself once with a fork, or spill water on the kitchen floor, like I usually do.  And that's because I was able to concentrate on the task at hand.  No iPod, no blaring TV.  I walked around the house and looked for more dishes, thrilled by this  experience.

  

Before starting this blessed dishwashing, it took me 11 minutes of Earth Hour just to locate and light all the candles in the house.  This alone made me appreciate how much I take for granted the quarter second  flick of a light switch.  We're not really candle people, but I found enough to illuminate the whole place with a pleasant and useful glow.  Our blueberry muffin candle smells the best.  And our three-wick unity candle burns brighter than our five-piece beaded candelabra.  

Confessions: I opened the refrigerator a few times to retrieve and stow vegetables and lemon juice.  I didn't actually unplug everything, just turned the computer and lights off.  All the same, it was nice to be alone with my thoughts and the sound of sloshy water and dishes.