Light at the end of a dark (literally dark) winter

We finally have our light back after three months of power outages.

I go out to the street.
I see the light.
I see so much light.
It’s unusual to see so much light outside.

Three months into power outages, streetlights have gone from being a basic amenity to becoming a rare radiant phenomenon. I haven’t really thought this thought before. Now — as I step into this unusually bright evening— I realize that’s what must have happened. The light was taken away by the dark force and now it’s coming back with a new hope.

I spent this winter going out into the dark most of the time. Russia has been launching missiles at our energy stations since late November, every two or three weeks. We rarely had any light at home, and we rarely had any light on the streets of Kyiv.

The season that’s very light on light became even lighter.

Now, when I go out into a lit evening, I’m surprised. I’m surprised by how much happier I feel navigating streets that aren’t dark. As it turns out— streetlights are an essential part of public well-being.

Streetlights pave a safe path to cross a street.
Streetlights pave a safe path to cross…