It was a dark and stormy night when the power went out.  No, just kidding.  It was a bright and sunny afternoon when the power went out. But go out it did: for 30 hours.

It had been a rather slow afternoon in mid-December and I was puttering around. Nothing felt urgent or important as Stephen Covey would say.  There were things that needed to be done, but I had no burning imperative to get started on a project.  While I waited, patiently at first, for the power to come back on, several items seemed increasingly pressing.  I really needed to get back on the computer and work on my mailing list.  I really really needed to get that grouting done. I really really really needed to grind the backs of those new marbles.  My relaxed energy had completed dissipated and I was suddenly at rapt attention ready to get it done now, right now.  I was not to be denied, but in fact I was…

Hours went by, then days.  I was cold and tired of eating sandwiches. Stu was off duck hunting in Missouri and I dared not let our little generator run on its own, so I would not leave the house. The generator kept the refrigerators running but that was all.  As time ticked by, what were once only little projects loomed ever larger in my mind.

This was not nonamophobia – the fear of power outages – but it was this feeling that my time was up. My time had run out! I had wasted valuable time, and not only was I never getting it back, more time was being stolen from me. Minute by minute, day by day, the power company was taking what was rightfully mine – my time! HA!

It was a procrastinator’s worst nightmare. I had not used my time wisely and now the time was gone.  Valuable time that I was counting on had vanished, was stolen, and who knew when a slot of time would next open up for me?

The guilt and worry about not using the earlier opportunities poured in.  Every to-do on the list was magnified.  I had been unappreciative of the time I was given until it was gone.  Sadly, most of us don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.  How many times do I need to learn this lesson?  It is not just about time; it is also about people, or opportunities or other items I have been given. This realization to always appreciate the moment seemed like an important part of my reflections for this New Year – every moment is a gift!

Of course, the power outage is now long over.  The lights are on, the furnace is humming, and the well is pumping away.   And my to-do list?  It has gained considerable perspective!

New York is on the way! I have started working on the New York state geologic map! It is the 14th state in my series of stone state geologic maps. Who is going to help me get to number 50?

Copies of my book will be available for purchase at my show in Tucson.

In January and February I will be exhibiting at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show again.  I’ll be in the same venue as last year: the La Fuente de Piedras Mineral Show, but this year I will be inside the pink building, not the tent.  It is a great location so I hope you will stop by!

www.stonequiltdesign.com
720.340.2132

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