the power-cut sit

When the light goes — and some evening this week it will — there is a minute before anyone finds the torch. That minute is yours. And if the grid stays loyal tonight, make your own small power cut: switch off one lamp and sit in the dimmer room.

Breathe in slowly while you count four.

Rest at the top — a heartbeat and a half.

Let the breath out for a count of six. In the half-dark, the out-breath is easier to hear. Listen to it.

Settle for a small moment.

One round. Three rounds. The inverter can wait its turn.

Sit one extra moment in the dimness before you switch anything back on. The room was enough like this.