At 4:29 a.m. Saturday, I woke up with a bright light in my eyes. My first thought - "Why is this lamp on?" And then I realized that meant power had been restored. Cable and Internet, too. And as bad as I wanted to back to sleep, I just couldn't. It's good to be back.
I will say now that I know very little about what happened after 8:30 p.m. Monday. I got brief updates on my phone when I could find service, and I've seen a few images of areas that were devastated. That was not my experience. I was lucky only to be inconvenienced and irritated.
Fortunately, friends graciously let me stay with them in Brooklyn for two nights. Others uptown offered, too. That felt good.
New York is a city that loves to name its neighborhoods. Mine was renamed SoPo -- South of Power, and after two nights in Brooklyn, I headed home to SoPo. That felt good, too.
It was darker than dark. Compete quietness. But a few candles, a flashlight, a good book made for a nice evening. Oh, and the fact that a food truck set up on my street helped, too. The best nachos I've had in New York. The best! Night two was just as good.
It's just after 8 a.m. now. I made coffee, cleaned my refrigerator, and started laundry. I'm beginning to hear my neighbors wake up. The news is on. Text messages are coming in. I can see that a lot has changed for so many people.
Me? I remain lucky.