Power Hungry

Topping my Gratitude List these days: Electricity.

I wouldn’t be typing this without it. I certainly wouldn’t be typing at this hour (3:12 am) without it.

Ultra aware of the nanosecond we lose power in a storm, I rarely appreciate the immediacy of light when I flip the switch, the ease of warm water streaming from the shower, the simplicity of a cup of hot tea. Tap the keyboard: internet. Turn a knob: music. Press a button: the garage door opens. Even my toothbrush plugs in.

Do I need all these conveniences? Not likely. But living with Parkinson’s in this age of power makes me thankful that I’m not of an earlier time. PD carries with it enough challenges, imagine adding late night wanderings by candlelight or stoking the stove to boil water. My tremor triggers just thinking about constipation and outhouses. (Another listing under Gratitude: Indoor plumbing.)

The yogi in me whispers, be contented for what is. I am, yes. Yet, the patient in me, however happy to see the light, says in reply, I’d rather be sleeping. That will come with daytime. Meanwhile, I’ll settle in with chamomile tea and Mozart on my headphones.