Locker Room

We live in an area where the power goes out for 12 hours or more once or twice a year.

This is due to an act of god, an act of a vengeful and taunting god, who wants us to be faced head-on with our frailty and weaknesses -- in particular, why can't we remember to put the flashlight back where it belongs so we can find it in the dark. Same with the tea lights, same with the tea light holders. We fumble around and we search and search, we blame each other (okay, we blame the kids) until someone stumbles on something that can provide illumination -- a match! From there, we search slowly until we've recovered all the needed items.

We muddle through the 12 hours, showering and recharging laptops in the athletic center until the lights eventually return. We look at our home, disheveled and covered in wax, and return everything to its proper place. Until the next candlelit dinner or game of flashlight tag.