Issue #21 · No Hay Luz

No Hay Luz

December 10, 2023: Sometimes, the universe works in mysterious ways. The other day, I headed out to one of my favorite cafés with the intention of doing some writing — staying loyal to my recent promise of writing more consistently by adding it to my sacred morning routine. I sat down, took a few sips of my Amarisa usual (“un latte caliente con leche de coco, gracias Miguel!”) and — POOF — the electricity went out. No power, no WiFi, no cell service, and no distractions. Just me and my arch nemesis, a pesky blank word doc that still works as long as my laptop battery lasts. Oh, you want to write more?! Prove it.

Alright, so maybe it wasn’t a sign from the universe, and rather a completely predictable factor of the famously fragile Puerto Escondido infrastructure — this little beach town that I’ve adopted as home can be pretty primitive sometimes. It’s the kind of place where even when the power is flowing, you’ve got to be pretty low-maintenance: most of the roads are dirt, it’s too hot to wear much more than a bathing suit, and if Chedraui doesn’t sell it, you’re mostly out of luck. But even without the comforts of a big city — or electricity — I am happiest here.

This was a classic yet perfectly timed Puerto curveball, so I decided to embrace the even-more-laid-back-than-usual day by staying put at my favorite corner table. I couldn’t help but enjoy the endless stream of people-watching while typing away, completely disconnected.

It’s a fun social experiment to observe how people act during a power outage: Some complained, others shrugged it off and headed out to surf. The employees at the café became even more friendly even though the temperature kept rising. The French girl next to me initially panicked about her inoperable cell phone, but eventually took out a notebook and started journaling (now that’s self-growth). Some oblivious dude didn’t even realize the entire town was out of power six hours into the outage (this is my dream). I had no idea where any of my friends were, and no ability to contact them, yet instinctively knew that we would all reunite at our usual spot on the beach for sunset — WiFi and cell service proving to be unnecessary.

I’ve read all of the articles suggesting screen breaks, digital detoxes and the benefits of charging your phone at night in another room. But even still, I find myself unconsciously checking for notifications mid-work out, at the dinner table, or my worst habit, at 3am in bed. The expression “there are not enough hours in the day” is quickly disproven by my screen time count, and any attempt to focus is easily derailed by one little red notification bubble. As an extremely online person, sometimes a little jolt back to unplugged reality is just what the doctored ordered.

Obviously, this post appearing in your inbox¹ means that the power has since come back on. I won’t lie, that first blast of AC in my bedroom felt fantastic — but even with a few extra beads of sweat, I seriously enjoyed this technology-free, writing-filled day² . I cranked out a ton of words, and made progress on three new posts that I plan to send out over the next few weeks — it was a wake-up call that I should probably keep up this disconnected lifestyle and intentionally let my phone die once in a while. Because as it turns out, in this laid-back, no-frills little town where I’m my happiest self, I’m also my most productive self — but only when the lights go out.

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¹ Shameless plug: If this did not appear in your inbox and instead you’re reading it online, you should subscribe to my email list here 😉

² Okay fine, the power was only out for 8 hours, excuse the dramatics — though that probably further proves my need to disconnect.

PS: I’d love to hear what you thought about this post. If this landed in your inbox, just hit reply! Or if you’re reading this online, send me an email at [email protected] and I pinky promise I’ll reply back.

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Here’s a list of every issue if you want to keep reading!

• Issue #20: Unclogging the Pipes [Dec 2023]

• Issue #19: A Love Letter to Charm City [Oct 2023]

• Issue #18: Plot Twist: I’m Going to Hong Kong [Sep 2023]

• Issue #17: To All of the Places I Will Never Visit [Sep 2023]

• Issue #16: Embracing the Blank Canvas [Sep 2023]

• Issue #15: In Pursuit of an Endless Summer [Aug 2023]

• Issue #14: Follow Me to Weird Places [Jul 2023]

• Issue #13: Self-Inflicted Social Overload [Jul 2023]

• Issue #12: Schlepping It 🎒 [Jun 2023]

• Issue #11: Finding My “Next Thing” [Jun 2023]

• Issue #10: Book the Damn Flight and Just Go [May 2023]

• Issue #9: Choosing Your Own Life Adventure [May 2023]

• Issue #8: Eat, Sleep, Write, Repeat [May 2023]

• Issue #7: My First Month of Indie Making: An Honest Review [Feb 2023]

• Issue #6: Ten Years of Making Money on the Internet [Jan 2023]

• Issue #5: The Modern-Day Mission Trip [Dec 2022]

• Issue #4: Ready, FIRE!, Aim [Nov 2022]

• Issue #3: A New City Every Month: An Experiment in Change [Aug 2022]

• Issue #2: Defining My North Star as a Nomad [Dec 2021]

• Issue #1: One Year on the Road: Looking Back [Oct 2021]