“Take Off Your ‘Hat’ and Stay Awhile!”

Every now and then I discover a habit I’ve fallen into that needs to be broken. Just recently, I’ve decided I need to take my headlamp off more often.

Headlamps are one of our most essential tools on the homestead, especially in the dark half of the year. I habitually rise early, and the sun sets early in the evening, so it’s very easy to run around with a headlamp strapped to my forehead all day if I’m not careful, particularly while I was home alone, with no one to catch me at it. They’re so ubiquitous that we tend to refer to them casually as “light hats.”

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the habit got out of hand. After a blizzard, we had a couple of days of high winds, so as soon as the battery bank reached 100%, I put the brake on the wind generator. I then set about conserving the charge, in case I needed it unexpectedly. I lit all the oil lamps, and slapped my headlamp on for spot lighting as needed.

homestead lamplight

The cabin by oil lamp light. Makes sense to strap an extra light to one's head (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Thursday morning, I sat in the cozy lamplight with a cup of coffee, but I felt unnaturally tense. Eventually, I realized that the tension came from my head, where my headlamp perched, unused, but ever-present. I took it off, and the tension fell away immediately. I hadn’t even realized there was a problem until then. Funny how a low-stress lifestyle makes one vulnerable to very small tensions . . . .

So now, I’m trying other tactics, looping the light on my arm or sticking it in a pocket, only putting it on my head when I need it. I’m feeling much better.

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One Response to “Take Off Your ‘Hat’ and Stay Awhile!”

  1. Astrid says:

    This is funny, here in Saskatchewan of course are days are shorter too, but not that short as where you guys live I guess.
    I always have sunglasses stuck to my head, same bad habit as your headlamp.

    Have a great day.

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