What to do when the lights go out

Well hello there!

How’s your summer been?

Mine’s been a little bit crazy, a little bit fun, a little bit exhausting, a little bit restful – all rolled into one.

I liken my life right now to a fuse box:

2020 felt like all the switches in the fuse box clicked off, save for a few of the most important ones. 

For the most part, 2020 was without power. Darkness. Quiet. Stillness. 

2021 – especially the last few months – has felt like that disorienting jolt of light, the sudden whirring of ON switches, that happens when all the power in the house turns back on. 

It’s like all the lights came on in my life, all at once. 

You, too?

This unexpected burst of power has left me feeling frazzled. 

Cluttered. 

Overwhelmed by all the decisions and people and plans and expectations.

(OK, I’ve also occasionally felt hopeful and joyful and playful, too.)

But mostly tired.

You, too?

As an antidote to the overwhelm, I put my head down. 

Went back into power save mode.

Only this time, unlike 2020, it was of my own choosing.

While the rest of the world has been swirling around me, I turned my metaphorical lights back off.

Darkness like this can be soothing. But it can also be confusing. 

Will it stay dark forever? Will I ever find my way back into ON mode? 

Which is why I was surprised, just the other day, by the urge to pick my head up.

To start dreaming and scheming and believing again.

Suddenly, my lights have come back on. 

Without knowing how exactly it happened, I’m fully charged up again – and ready to shine bright.

You, too?

The other day on Instagram, artist and author Mari Andrews said, “Ripe fruit falls quickly.”

“I remember so many times when there was too much fog in front of me to consider the next step, only to realize one morning the haze was completely gone and nothing could be more clear than the path in front of me. What seemed like a sudden decision was actually months in progress.”

Whether we’re talking about fuse boxes or ripe fruit, I’m learning that life is about rhythms:

Sometimes we’re bright and vibrant and out there – switching on our lights for everyone to see.

And other times we’re quiet and inward and resting – powering down our batteries and letting our seeds germinate.

Which rhythm are you in today? 

And what do you need now – quiet, light, love, something else? – to help you trust that the next thing is on its way to you?

It’s great to be back. 

Onward,