Post blackout reflections.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himThis last post from 2013 must have been very different, at least in my initial intentions. But in the last few days many things have happened, I have had the opportunity to reflect for a long time and so here I am. It is evening, I am sitting by the fire, in a remote village in the mountains of the Veneto, and I write on a battered tablet in the hope of being able to publish these few thoughts in time.
It was a rainy Christmas, despite being nearly 1300 meters above sea level. But on December 26th, when I woke up, everything outside the window was covered in a thick white blanket. Large, wet snowflakes continued to fall for hours that day, causing a lot of damage.
I was having breakfast when suddenly the light went out. The constant hum of the refrigerator stopped, I was left with a coffee-soaked cookie in midair for a moment. In the beginning, I didn't really pay much attention to it; in the mountains temporary interruptions occur with relative frequency. With the passing of the hours, however, the electric current did not return, and this yes, it was rather unusual.
At five in the afternoon, when the winter darkness came, the situation became exhilarating: to prevent the freezer from turning into a micro-pool, we buried all its contents in the snow, transferring what was in the fridge directly to the windowsill. . Encouraged by the presence of the wood stove and generations of recycled candles, we cooked and ate well earlier than usual, in a decidedly strange, but warm and pleasant atmosphere. We all gathered at the same table to read and then to play cards, laughing because on balance we saw very little .. surely that evening there were many opportunities for cheating!
My cell phone was out of power in the morning and was therefore out of power for the whole day. In the absence of enough light to read without damaging the eyes - not to mention the television or the smartphone - we chatted a lot, as we have not done for a long time. And we went to sleep with the chickens, hugging ourselves in hot water bottles.
The following morning he gave us a good morning with a splendid sun and with the return of the electric current; it was not so easy for many municipalities of Cadore, which remained in the dark and cold for almost four days, suffering extensive damage. From my revived smartphone I could see that this was not of great interest to the media, intent on reporting the inconveniences - also exclusive, evidently - suffered by VIPs on holiday in Cortina.
However, the damage throughout the mountain Veneto was enormous. Hundreds of trees have fallen under the weight of the water-swollen snow. Pylons and electrical wires have also fallen under the trees, generating an unprecedented blackout in this area. Closed restaurants, hotels in the dark, lifts stopped, steps blocked. Complaints and cancellations. Supermarkets spasmodically attached to generators, hoping to save food. People in panic hunting for candles, for once not the scented ones.
Fortunately I, finding myself a guest on vacation, experienced this with a light heart. But I could not help but reflect on our constant and growing dependence on electricity (and not only), in this daily rush to consumption. In the meantime, in the absence of electricity, in a single day, I rediscovered the pleasure of not being traceable and of spending time with the people I love, without too many distractions. I spent little time in the bathroom (it was frozen!), I read more, I took advantage of the daylight and with the arrival of darkness I went to sleep, as it was not too long ago, following the natural rhythm of the days.
In the light (it is appropriate to say it) of this little adventure, my wish for everyone, for the coming year, is to learn to re-evaluate the little things and above all to be able to consume less.
Good ending and good start to all!
