Darkness

Tonight around 9pm, my power went out, blanketing everything in darkness. (It turns out that several blocks lost power, my whole neighborhood, but anyway...) What surprised me is how dark it really was. It is cloudy tonight, so there was no moon to illuminate. The street lamps were out, neighbors' lights...there was not even the glow of the digital clock on the DVD player to light my way. I don't think we ever really think about what darkness is - because we are never in complete darkness - not in the city or even the suburbs. There is always the light of street lamps, businesses, neighbors' porches. Not tonight. It was a little unnerving. I lit a candle - which was practical, but spooky. I was actually glad to have to leave to go to work at 10.

When I left, I noticed many of my neighbors were outside communing. Everyone was in the same boat, so they were socializing about it. Flares and sparklers were lit, kids with flashy lights on there bikes were banging around, small groups were hanging out on each block. I thought it interesting how without power, we have none of the entertainments and diversions that occupy us inside our homes - no tv, DVD, playstation or whatever. No light to read or write by. So we turn to the community, abandoning our solitary units and find diversion in each other. It was a rather illuminating social demonstration (pun intended).

Still, all that darkness was out of place among the houses. Last year I worked a movie in Tennessee for the Stones River National Battlefield. We filmed at night and in the woods. That was the last time I experienced true darkness; the kind of dark night that lets the stars shine brighter because there is nothing manmade to compete with. The darkness was actually comforting, welcome. A return to nature if you will...tonight however was not so comforting. Inconvenient, unsettling, even disturbing, but not comforting. (Even the stars were not shining.)

I have a new fan - an upright tower that has a blue light that glows in the dark when the fan is on. Frankly it's a pretty damn bright little blue light. And I am vaguely annoyed with it when I sleep. Tonight however, I will be happy to see that blue light glow as I doze off and the digital clock on the DVD player too....although I have never been afraid of the dark, a little bit of light feels pretty good.