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4 candles and one wall, all working in sync to project the rhythm of “A Summer’s Dream” playing through my speaker. No electricity to supply me enough light to write within the margins of my lined paper. Yet, my soul motions my digits to write. Each written letter seems to correspond with my thoughts. In this moment, I realize all of Nashville is at a pause. A well-lit city and its people sit in darkness throughout the night. A bad storm in Nashville is unwelcomed. This city can’t stand a power outage. Complaints are nonstop and people refuse to lower their standard of living to a sandwich and water for a night’s meal. All of this has me thinking. Are we too flashy and self-absorbed to notice the beauty in natural components? Do we need a constant power supply to illuminate our beautiful city or can we appreciate Luna’s effort to do the same?
I think about all of the summer nights I spent lying in my driveway looking up to Luna in amusement. Random questions would occupy my mind because I could not find an answer to them. Questions like, How does Luna know if her job is complete if she has never opened her eyes to see? How “full” can she truly become if parts of her are never fully sculpted? During this outage, I have stumbled upon a potential answer. After twelve hours without power, this outage has taught me that some things are most transparent in the dark. Also, I learned shadows contribute to making something full. We are so used to being on-the-go and lit that we have forgotten how beautiful and revealing the darkness is. I watch as these four candles emit flames, tagging a mural on my golden wall. Tan breaks in the mural represent the functioning city in all its glory. However, the shadows reveal the darkening experience of those Nashvillians who will never see an end to their power outage but somehow make do with the little candlelight they have. I write of those whose power was out long before this night. In this moment of darkness, I feel their loss. A loss of power and control over what I can see and do about this circumstance. Losses like these forces us to recall our surroundings from memory. I walk my house catching myself by holding my hands out before me. Even finding the nearest lighter can sometimes seem tougher than breathing. I didn’t realize how hard lighters are to find when you’re not a smoker! Now, image having to endure this every day. While the rest of Nashville reports over 30,000 power outages to NES, those Nashvillians who’ve been without power goes to bed with empty bellies. This mural detailing on my wall portrays those we leave behind in our daily living. It goes without saying that as soon as my lights are back on, the essence of this mural will be gone. Hidden by light, back by dark! I guess I write all of this to say we need to familiarize ourselves with the fundamentals. The fundamentals are crucial to understanding how and why something operates the way that it does. Just as the moon provides light to the world, a shadow can still be found somewhere. Pay just as much attention to what’s hidden in those shadows. Sometimes, it requires recognition to appreciate the things we complain about. Personally, I enjoy power outages for these reasons. I get to complete writing projects, find alternative ways to light up a small area, and listen to jazz! Some find it bothersome when the humidity kicks in but then again, that’s summer! Feel free to share what you did during the blackout below!
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Here are the rest of the mayoral candidates. Also, I will list the three amendments that needs your attention. Lastly, I will provide you with a list of early voting locations.
Serving as the first African American Councilman-at-Large on the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County and the first African American vice Mayor, Howard Gentry is not shy of experience. Currently, he serves as the Criminal County Clerk of Davidson County in the 20th Judicial District. His campaign targets quite a few things but mainly affordable housing options, jobs and mass transportation. His overall approach is social equity so that Nashville can be a place for everyone. For more details about him, visit his website. Jeremey Kane is the most athletic candidate we have running for mayor. He has attended Stanford University on a swimming scholarship and volunteered at a basketball league in Sevier Park. He comes from a family of volunteers. His mother and father held leading positions within their communities as coaches and ministers. Forming an ongoing strand of commitment to the bettering of his community is Jeremy Kane’s campaign objective. Read more about his campaign by visiting his website. Linda Eskind Rebrovick is all about making Nashville “smarter.” She plans to focus on affordable housing and education. Unlike her competitors, Linda Eskind Rebrovick’s campaign focuses on a different topic of interest, small business leadership and entrepreneurship. She is as a founding board member of the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center. Currently, she is the CEO at Census Point, a company specializing in marketing research technology. For more information on Linda Eskind Rebrovick and her campaign, visit her website. As for the amendments, there are three requiring a vote. Amendment No. 1 is about increasing the term limits of vice mayor, district councilmember, and councilmember-at-large from eight years to twelve years. Amendment No. 2 is about increasing the term limits of vice mayor, district councilmember, and councilmember-at-large from eight years to twelve years. This would require a reduction in the size of the Metropolitan Council. Amendment No. 3 is about requiring the Division of Purchases ensure forty percent of the total construction work hours are worked by Davidson County residents and ten percent of the total construction work hours are worked by low income residents of Davidson County. These rules will apply only for public improvement projects amounting in $100,000 or more. Early voting schedule is from July 17-Aug. 1! You may vote at Howard Office Building. Yesterday was the opening of more early voting locations such as Belle Meade City Hall, Bellevue Community Center, Casa Azafran Community Center, Goodlettsville City Hall, Southeast Community Center and select libraries. Go vote TODAY! |
Tranyce BryantCreator of everything you see on here. Archives
September 2020
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