Lights Out

This past New Year's Eve, the wind in my neighborhood was so bad that it downed a power line, and the entire area was thrown into darkness for a couple of hours. And though that might sound like the beginning of a "My Worst New Year's Eve Ever" essay-contest entry, it's not; we gathered together all the candles we never burn, grabbed some blankets for warmth and huddled up on the couch, watching the shadows dance on the walls. It was so peaceful and rejuvenating that I was caught completely by surprise when the power came back on and the living room was suddenly filled with blazing light. It was glorious.

What can an hour of no power do for you? Why not find out tonight between 8 and 9 p.m.? It's Earth Hour, which means that households, communities and businesses all over the planet will turn off their lights and non-essential appliances to show that small individual actions, when coordinated on a mass scale, can make a difference with such problems as global warming. So enjoy an hour in darkened bliss — or step outside and see what the decrease in light pollution does for your view of the night sky. For information, visit www.earthhour.org.
Sat., March 29, 8-9 p.m., 2008