I woke up this morning to a rainy, blustery day. All night long I heard the sounds of the rain pounding on the roof, and the wind plastering it against the windows. One of my cats, Charlotte, spent the night under the bed. She is terrified of storms since the big one early this past summer when trees came down all around us and hail pummeled us without mercy. Her sister, Laura, opted to curl up next to me and bury herself in blankets.
I was delighted to see that we had not lost power. However, I was not delighted to find out that the internet had been knocked out. On a Monday? Rats! Monday is the day I write and post this blog. Monday is one of my two scheduled networking days. I have upcoming deadlines I have to start working towards, and articles to write, and research to do and, and, and, ..... there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Then it dawned on me - when had I become so connected to technology that being without it felt like the time I went cold turkey and quit smoking? When had I exchanged my real life for one that resided in "The Cloud?"
I got up and made myself a hot cup of coffee with a splash of yummy, almond milk based pumpkin spice creamer, and crawled back in bed with one cat next to me, one cat underneath me, and my journal. I said my morning prayers. I meditated to the sound of my breath and Mother Nature's heavy breathing outside. Then I decided to treat myself to something I reserve for Sunday mornings only - curling up with a book and letting go of the virtual side of my life. Sooner or later the internet would come back on, my self-imposed deadlines would be met - or not - and in the end none of it mattered in the least. Neither rain, nor wind, nor gloom of night had kept me from doing what mattered: praying, meditating, journaling, and spending some extra cuddle time with the braver of my two fur babies.
Who were you before the internet came along? That's the person you want to spend quality time with. You're not "virtual" reality, you're the real deal!
P.S Charlotte finally came out of hiding. Funny how the sound of a can of cat food opening can instill courage in a traumatized cat!
And so it is.
