Turn out the lights night

So on a rare evening last week when I didn’t have a meeting, I was sitting at the computer trying to get some work done when my grandson Michael asked if I wanted to participate in a one-hour lights out event. He’s in an environmental emphasis program at Berkeley High, and apparently this had something to do with energy dependence. Well, I could certainly get behind that, and I wasn’t getting anywhere with the work anyway.

By the time I got downstairs, all the lights had been turned off, and the family was busily lighting candles. Greyhaven by candle light is really beautiful. I went back to my room and got my harp, and as everyone gathered in the living room, talking and doing craftwork that didn’t require too much light, I played.

It was a beautiful hour, no computer, no TV, just being together. Our family does celebrations, but they are always loud and busy. I can’t recall the last time we just quietly enjoyed each other’s company, though I admit to a few pangs of gratitude that we were doing this voluntarily and had not fallen into an S.M.Stirling novel.

And this was the kids’ idea, not something imposed on them, and they’d like to do it again….