Blackout 2008

So, I never thought I would say that we experienced hurricane force winds in Cincinnati, Ohio. On Sunday we go the remnants of hurricane Ike, which just days earlier wreaked havoc on Houston and the surrounding areas. I cannot believe the amount of damage a storm like that can do days later, hundreds of miles north. The wind kicked up around 2pm on Sunday and by 4pm tree limbs were down all over the place, power was out to more than 500,000 people in the tri-state area, and there was a mob at the one gas station in the area that had power...cars lined up 15 deep to fill up...not sure where those people were going to be driving since everything was closed.

But with all the inconvenience over the last two days, I have found it a blessing to be forced to slow down and regroup. Sunday night I spent the evening sitting on my couch reading by candlelight. No computer or tv to distract God from speaking. Then I headed to bed early and got my first good night's sleep in a week. On Monday, I found that there were a few places with power, so I headed to Bruegger's Bagels in Blue Ash to get some work done. There were tons of people there from all walks of life, just hanging out, eating and working on computers.

What I found out, is that when things don't go as we plan them, people can be generally nice. The place was packed, but I found a nice guy who was willing to share his booth, his power outlet and some great conversation for a few hours. I'm sure that not everyone was as laid back as the people I met at Bruegger's yesterday, but it was a glimmer of hope in a world that is generally self-seeking. I saw people out helping neighbors with their downed trees. I saw friends walking around together just having conversations.

It seems that it is good to slow down. I wish it would happen more often so that we could re-connect with each other without the distraction of all the technology that has made our world super efficient but has bled us of the depth of relationships that only happen when we slow down long enough to have them.