It’s often said that April showers bring May flowers. And while springtime brings colorful blooms from what seemed like lifeless dirt just a few short weeks ago, it can also bring powerful storms. And those storms have the potential to knock out electric lines. 

We’re blessed to live in a time and place where the flip of a switch means illumination and the twist of the tap delivers water like magic. We don’t have to think too much about it, it’s just always there—until it isn’t. 

Where I live, we aren’t connected to village or city water lines. Instead, we have a well, so when the electricity goes out, so does our water. Simply put, that means no water in faucets or for flushes. And while we can hook our fridge and freezer up to a portable generator to keep our food cold, we must resort to bottled water, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and delayed flushes until the power returns. 

During one spring storm season, my husband and I were at parent-teacher conferences at our kids’ school. The girls were old enough to stay home by themselves, each busy in separate rooms of the house. While we were gone, a storm blew in. At school, there was no loss of power during our meetings, but as we drove closer to home, we didn’t see lights on in any of the homes we passed. When we got to our driveway, we saw that a small tree had been blown down, blocking our path to the garage. Our house was dark, just like the rest of the neighborhood. We found the girls huddled together in one room, wrapped in cozy blankets and eating granola bars. 

While my husband cut the tree to clear the driveway, I found something simple to reheat on the grill. During our meal, eaten by candlelight, the girls recounted their harrowing tale of survival. “We felt like pioneers,” they noted, relieved when we came to the rescue, just like Ma and Pa Ingalls would out on the prairie. The cozy lighting made for a quiet, screen-free evening as we read books by flickering candles, then circled the wagons to bed down for the night. 

The electricity returned late that evening, and my husband and I ran around turning off lights, resetting clocks and flushing toilets. When the girls woke up the next morning, they were happy to return to the 21st century. But after going without modern conveniences even a short while, we each had a new appreciation for the things we often take for granted. 

In a work environment, it’s common for technical support staff to recommend shutting down a computer, then restarting it to resolve an issue. At home, a power outage can work in a similar way for us human machines. In fact, studies have shown that taking a break from screens can help improve mental and physical health, strengthen relationships, and encourage us to engage in offline activities. It can even increase the quality of our sleep, allowing our brains to ‘reset’. 

Whatever the weather, April can provide you with more opportunities to enjoy offline activities with your family—whether you’re out on the prairie or at home in the suburbs. Hopefully, you won’t need to lose power to give it a go.