When I woke up last Sunday (May 25) I completely forgot there was a scheduled all-day power outage from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
I yawned, got out of bed, and walked into the kitchen. When I looked around the first thing I noticed was the microwave's clock wasn't on. There was also no quiet hum of the fridge when I opened it. All the background lights and noise we’ve come to live with, it wasn't there.
Then I remembered it was a power outage day for the entire North Island (Port Alice included, haha).
At first, it didn't bother me. It felt like a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. The power goes out all the time here, sometimes for days on end, so I'm used to it by now. But then I realized I couldn't make coffee, which upset me dearly (normally I keep some instant coffee on hand for this kind of occasion, but as I said previously, I forgot there was going to be a power outage).
Instead of filling my stomach with caffeine, I sat down on my couch and just stared at my blank tv screen, wondering what I should do with the rest of my day. I debated just scrolling on my cellphone, but decided against it as I hate doom scrolling and I wanted to save the battery for later in case I was bored and the power didn't come back on when it was scheduled to.
With nothing else to do, I decided to go and visit my parents.
My dad was out getting groceries at Save On so we'd be able to have some dinner later, my mom was knitting, and my brother was hanging out on the couch in the living room with the cat.
Usually whenever I come over to visit them, everyone is busy watching tv or staring at their cell phones/tablets, but thanks to the power outage, we suddenly found ourselves all face-to-face with no screens to distract us.
My brother and I went for a walk around Port Hardy. We talked about movies, which is pretty much all we talk about whenever we hang out, and then we went back home and fired up his laptop.
We watched Eight Legged Freaks and then The Reef: Stalked. Both movies were excellent, with the sequel to The Reef being my favourite (I'm a sucker for shark movies, what can I say).
We managed to get through both movies before the laptop's battery ran out. It was just about time for dinner then. My dad reheated a roasted chicken and wedges using the barbecue and we sat together in the living room, not rushing, not scrolling, just… there as a group.
As the evening wore on, the power finally came back on and I went home. The refrigerator was on, and I had to reset my microwave's clock for what felt like the millionth time this year.
I have to say, though, the outage reminded me of something that's very easy to forget: time is our most valuable resource, and we’re always spending it somewhere.
That day, we spent it with each other—and it was a lot of fun. So next time the power goes out, I won’t rush to find a flashlight. I’ll find my family.
Tyson Whitney is an award-winning journalist who was born and raised in Port Hardy. His family has lived in Port Hardy for more than 40 years. He graduated with a degree in writing from Vancouver Island University in 2008. Email: editor@northislandgazette.com
