by Connie Woodring
it’s when the electricity goes out.
I am left with no TV, WIFI, telephone, lights, refrigerator, microwave, heat, running water, toilet.
So, it’s living in the moment, like it or not.
To help focus, I make several vodka martinis.
I quickly shut the freezer door when I get my ice cubes.
There is a lot of traffic on my street which is uncommon. Probably a tree down somewhere.
High winds, heavy rain and the call to the utility company saying, “Power will be restored by
11pm, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
No one can contact me. I only use my cellphone for emergencies, but no one knows that number.
Should I call someone, or would that be getting out of the moment?
I close my eyes and listen to the humming of my neighbors’ generators.
Try not to be envious.
This is the best I’ve done to follow the Buddhist instruction of “Be in the moment.”
The martinis are kicking in, the wind and rain have died down.
Now I’ll just wait for twelve hours for the electricity to come back on.
Then I can get back to trying to be in the moment and constantly failing.
Connie Woodring is a 79-year-old retired psychotherapist who has been getting back to her true love of writing after 45 years in her real job. She has had many poems published in over 50 journals, including one nominated for the Pushcart Prize.