Pasta, Silence, and Me Have you ever made pasta in the darkness? That could be an interesting, memorable experience, at least for me. I recall once my mother asked me to make something for dinner while she was leaving the house to go to the doctor’s. I clumsily got out of my bed in the evening and went into the kitchen. No one was at home except my two sisters and me. I decided to make pasta with tomato sauce because I thought it would be easy to prepare and it wouldn’t take much time. I had scarcely put the pot on the stove top and turned the fire on when the power went out. Everywhere was in a pitch dark. There was only some light from the stove. I tried to look for some candles, but I couldn’t find any. Unfortunately, the supermarket beside our house was out of candles. I thought I would use our torch light, but it was broken too. I didn’t think about the gas lights because they were out of work. I was very angry with my father because he always postponed fixing the gas lights. That night I felt I was left high and dry. My sisters came into the kitchen and asked what I was doing. I told them that I was looking for something to light up the kitchen and said that there was nothing to do so. One of my sisters suggested using our phones torch lights to make dinner. Her suggestion was immediately applauded, and we started making dinner with the light from our phones. We really enjoyed ourselves making dinner together, talking and laughing. We were so busy talking to each other that we completely forgot about the darkness and calling someone to bring some candles. That night in the darkness I could hear the kids playing in the street and shouting. I felt as if everything was wrapped in a miraculous tranquility; no anxiety, no rush, and no concern. I was engulfed into a deep peace and serenity. I didn't need to hear any news, to watch or to listen to anything. It was the first time I liked it when the power went out. A beautiful silence was running into the veins of the life.