When the lights go out so do our illusions.

South Florida does not do freezing weather. People panic at 50 degrees. At 40, plans are cancelled. When it dips below that and the power goes out? Civilization, apparently, is optional.

This week’s cold snap and the resulting power outage was a bracing reminder of just how thin the veneer of modern life really is.

No lights. No hot shower. No stove. No refrigeration. No internet. No coffee. Honestly, that last one felt personal.

Within minutes, the house went from cozy winter anomaly to off-grid pioneer reenactment.

The refrigerator became a sealed tomb of rapidly declining optimism. The Wi-Fi router blinked out, taking with it streaming television, news updates, and the ability to angrily Google, when will my power come back?!

The silence was…unsettling. Turns out the hum of modern life is a comfort blanket.

And yet miracle of miracles the cell phone still worked only because I own 3 portable phone chargers. I was not as fortunate with my Nook and Apple Watch.

It turns out that the glowing cell rectangle became the last remaining thread to the outside world. Texts went through. Calls connected. News trickled in. Civilization, it turns out, now fits in your pocket as long as the towers are standing and the battery holds.

It was a strange mix of gratitude and mild existential dread. We live in an age where everything depends on electricity and connectivity. Not just convenience, but basic functioning. Heat. Food safety. Communication. Work. Navigation. Even the ability to complain effectively.

We have built a world where the power grid is the nervous system and connectivity is the circulatory system.

When either stutters, we don’t just lose comfort, we lose coordination. No lights is annoying. No internet is disorienting. No way to reach anyone? That’s when things get real very fast.

There was also something oddly humbling about it. A reminder that for all our smart homes and smarter phones, we are one transformer, one downed line, one freak weather event away from candles and cold showers. Progress is impressive. Resilience, less so.

Power eventually returned after 18 hours. The lights flickered on. The refrigerator sighed in relief. The Wi-Fi reasserted its dominance. Order was restored, but the illusion cracked a little.

We like to think we are in control. Turns outs we are just very well-connected until we are not.

Maybe that is worth remembering, preferably before the next cold snap. Or hurricane. Or snowstorm. Or fire. Or whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at the U.S. next, just to keep us humble.

Oh, and take this down, there is no worry about climate change or protecting the environment. Those issues went the way of the MMR vaccine.