Power is finally back in our home, and I feel like I can now finally resume a normal life. There are still a few power disruptions here and there, as expected, and I admit it’s always nerve-wracking when it happens. But overall, this is really a much better place for me and a huge relief.

My issues are definitely nothing compared to what many are experiencing right now. But I feel like I still have a little more to say about this ordeal, on a more personal level. It has been mentally taxing to say the least. My first order of business when I heard that we likely wouldn’t have electricity for a few weeks was to find a way to have some semblance of a normal Christmas for my family, and that’s what I spent the half of my break working on. In the end, we did get to celebrate Christmas, to a much better outcome than I could have hoped for given the circumstances, and it was worth all the effort.

Despite this turning out pretty well, however, I still do occasionally wonder how things would have played out in the last two weeks if things were normal – if Typhoon Odette hadn’t happened or had it not been as consequential as it was.

Other than my first priority of spending time being present for my family, I also consider the holiday break as a once-a-year opportunity to focus on trying, creating, and learning new things beyond what I do day-to-day. This year, I had an entire Notion page of personal work I wanted to get done over the holiday break. Naturally, most of it had to be put off or canceled altogether.

In essence, I can’t help but feel like I just lost the last two weeks.

The bright side (no pun intended)

On the bright side, I realize that while I wasn’t exactly burning down my to-do list, it doesn’t mean the last two weeks wasn’t a period of learning and productivity for me. Quite the contrary.

Without power, I learned ways to enjoy time with the family without the aid of screens and machines. Having moved to a better neighborhood this year (and one that was thankfully spared from too much damage), I got to spend a lot of outdoor time with my daughter. Our indoor time wasn’t bad at all either – it was amazing to witness what an incredible imagination she already had. Her innocent views about what was happening gave me so much perspective on things.

And speaking of neighborhood, this was honestly the first time I had any meaningful interaction with any of our new neighbors. Funnily, it happened over charging our devices at the generator-powered community clubhouse. The “neighborhood DJ” (i.e. the person who plays music from his balcony for the neighborhood to hear) also had his time to shine while everyone was spending more time outdoors, and I’m really thankful for that because I believe in the power of music to lift spirits in the (literally) darkest hours.

I also managed to catch up on reading, something I had neglected a bit over the year (and on that note, do check out my 2021 recommended reading). Likewise, in my quest for a normal Christmas, I gained a lot of knowledge on some practical things. Well, mostly about electricity and how the power infrastructure works, so perhaps not all that practical.

Overall, I guess it wasn’t all that bad.

Now…

I’m very fortunate that I work for a very empathetic company, Synacy, that prioritizes its employees’ well-being over empty “productivity”, so I had no difficulties requesting an extension of my break for another week to recover mentally from what has been going on.

Perhaps I’ll get an opportunity to make up for all the lost time, perhaps not. But if there’s anything at all I’ve learned after this period of difficulty, it’s to make the most of whatever time and circumstances I’m granted.