So doing drugs like coke is wrong but being addicted to our phones and the internet is a healthy choice?

When did being silent and disconnected became the hardest to-do for people in our generation? What before was a way of life now is like a day in a Harry Potter movie, almost a magical experience. Just us and silence, the beginning of every terror movie.

Due to some repairs in the neighborhood, yesterday I was out of electricity for some time. So what does a writer do, when something like this happens? We write about it. You betcha.

Turning no electricity into adventure mode “on” at home: Five things to do when we are surrounded by time and silence.

Don’t Panic

Yeah right, of course, I panicked. My phone runs out of battery so fast. No internet, my coffee is cold, and I cannot use the microwave! I usually listen to the classics on Sundays; I cannot use my phone or it will die—let’s save it for emergencies. Sorry, Spotify and YouTube, it is between you and the battery.

Disconnect so you can reconnect

After trying not to panic, then panicking, and then deciding it wasn’t worth it, I sat in silence.

How many times a week do we actually have a moment of silence. Disconnecting from notifications, from TV shows, even from music, can feel refreshing. A well-deserved break to our brains. Disconnect from your phone so you can reconnect with yourself. Connect with your breath (that swinging door of air that comes and goes); connect with your silence; connect with your mind and heart. See how are they feeling—let them enjoy a moment on.

Write 

Writing can be so therapeutic; write something you can enjoy. Whether on your computer or paper, write anything that inspires you or something you may need to pour out. Sundays, I sometimes enjoy writing poetry, nothing complicated, just pouring out, whatever comes through my heart.

So here is my poem today:

In which moment of civilization

Did we lose our patience to wait

We want everything at the snap of our fingers

Boiled water, food, things we buy deliver to us the very next day.

What happened to wait? What happened to waiting—to actually getting to know someone, to building a friendship before jumping our brains out. 

Creating takes time, harvesting takes time, art that has survived through the centuries certainly took time, when did we decide: I want it all now!?

Who came up with the idea, that being busy-busy and always running, the more productive we are. Who decided our life should be running from chore to chore—like trained monkeys who will die if they stopped? 

What if we stopped, and did nothing? what if we waited for the hot water to boil through the fire. Are these the advances in our civilization? Everything fast, god forbid we could be bored or waste our time in life. 

Sit down; let’s be bored; let’s make cuddling hip and trendy again. What if chasing after goals is not a way of life? What if giving all our focus and attention to the present can be more productive than all those errands we must run.

I believe our fast approach to life has made us forget that everything worth our time, should take time. A relationship, a friendship, getting great at something you do. If we learn this, then we wouldn’t give up. We would accept that instant doesn’t necessarily mean better, and that waiting is not a punishment; it is a lesson of appreciation for what we have in life.

Go back to a timeless classic, turn the pages of your favorite books

Burrito yourself in a cozy blanket and read a book you love. What can be better than being cozy and soaking in words you love. Light the candles. Read in the candlelight like people use to do before. Maybe artists before were so creative because they had much more silence, they lived around natural light, and at night candlelights, and had nothing but ink and paper to pour their ideas out.

I wonder if Leonardo Da Vinci would choose a chilled acoustic Spotify playlist while painting the Last Supper?

I have a couple of books that I like revisiting when I can read for fun:

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Desde el Corazon (From the Heart) an assortment of four novels by Corín Tellado

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

Lost Lady by Jude Deveraux

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

What a better time to cook, to take your time creating a masterpiece that your hungry tummy will love

Go to your kitchen. Let it be you, ingredients, and the stove. An orchestra of three, playing live. How many times we think, if I had the time I would make myself a decent meal to eat. Spaghetti Marinara coming right up.

Offline Mode/Viking Mode On!

This day made me feel like a Viking. Obviously, people survived through actual hard times before. It’s not like I have to hunt for my food; all I need to do is survive without the internet and artificial light. So welcome books, candles, writing, and silence, we shall make it through this day.

~