No Hay Luz
Issue #21 · Sometimes, the universe works in mysterious ways.
December 10, 2023: Sometimes, the universe works in mysterious ways. The other day, I headed out to one of my favorite cafés with the intention of doing some writing — staying loyal to my recent promise of writing more consistently by adding it to my sacred morning routine. I sat down, took a few sips of my Amarisa usual (“un latte caliente con leche de coco, gracias Miguel!”) and — POOF — the electricity went out. No power, no WiFi, no cell service, and no distractions. Just me and my arch nemesis, a pesky blank word doc that still works as long as my laptop battery lasts. Oh, you want to write more?! Prove it.
Alright, so maybe it wasn’t a sign from the universe, and rather a completely predictable factor of the famously fragile Puerto Escondido infrastructure — this little beach town that I’ve adopted as home can be pretty primitive sometimes. It’s the kind of place where even when the power is flowing, you’ve got to be pretty low-maintenance: most of the roads are dirt, it’s too hot to wear much more than a bathing suit, and if Chedraui doesn’t sell it, you’re mostly out of luck. But even without the comforts of a big city — or electricity — I am happiest here.
This was a classic yet perfectly timed Puerto curveball, so I decided to embrace the even-more-laid-back-than-usual day by staying put at my favorite corner table. I couldn’t help but enjoy the endless stream of people-watching while typing away, completely disconnected.
It’s a fun social experiment to observe how people act during a power outage: Some complained, others shrugged it off and headed out to surf. The employees at the café became even more friendly even though the temperature kept rising. The French girl next to me initially panicked about her inoperable cell phone, but eventually took out a notebook and started journaling (now that’s self-growth). Some oblivious dude didn’t even realize the entire town was out of power six hours into the outage (this is my dream). I had no idea where any of my friends were, and no ability to contact them, yet instinctively knew that we would all reunite at our usual spot on the beach for sunset — WiFi and cell service proving to be unnecessary.
I’ve read all of the articles suggesting screen breaks, digital detoxes and the benefits of charging your phone at night in another room. But even still, I find myself unconsciously checking for notifications mid-work out, at the dinner table, or my worst habit, at 3am in bed. The expression “there are not enough hours in the day” is quickly disproven by my screen time count, and any attempt to focus is easily derailed by one little red notification bubble. As an extremely online person, sometimes a little jolt back to unplugged reality is just what the doctored ordered.
Obviously, this post appearing in your inbox means that the power has since come back on. I won’t lie, that first blast of AC in my bedroom felt fantastic — but even with a few extra beads of sweat, I seriously enjoyed this technology-free, writing-filled day. I cranked out a ton of words, and made progress on three new posts that I plan to send out over the next few weeks — it was a wake-up call that I should probably keep up this disconnected lifestyle and intentionally let my phone die once in a while. Because as it turns out, in this laid-back, no-frills little town where I’m my happiest self, I’m also my most productive self — but only when the lights go out.
Recommended related posts:
In Pursuit of an Endless Summer — An attempt to explain why I attempt to subject myself to scorching temperatures year-round.
Choosing Your Own Life Adventure — There is opportunity cost in every decision we make, but what happens to those unchosen paths that could have been?
PS: I’d love to hear what you thought about this issue. Email me directly at hello@emilyannhill.com and I pinky promise I’ll reply back.