It was the morning of January 28th, 2010 when it happened. A frightening moment of panic and then the sad realization of what had happened. My computer DIED! One day my Dell was happily, although slowly, humming along. The next morning, nothing, not even its familiar hum & buzz. Nothing would go on, power cords were checked, connections were double and triple checked. Finally Murph broke the news to me-my connection to the world was lost. Our computer was done and most likely unfixable.
It may sound a tad bit over dramatic or ridiculous, but I never realized how much I depended on my computer until it was gone. At first I was upset because I had to send out a few emails, then I was worried about losing all our pictures-trips to London, Ireland, Teeny's first year and a 1/2 memories possibly gone forever. And then I thought about iTunes! Thousands of songs lost forever. No more Facebook, blogging, searching for recipes, emailing friends. I have quit smoking and caffeine, both difficult, but they seemed like nothing compared to kicking my computer addiction. I didn't even have the opportunity to wean myself from it-it was cold turkey.
At first it was hard-seemingly impossible. But day by day, it was easier. Some things were more of an inconvenience-late bills because I couldn't confirm scheduled payments. In another way though, it reintroduced me to things I haven't used for a while. I actually used my cookbooks instead of just going online to check out 1000 recipes. I organized my recipe files and found recipes I hadn't used in years. I even baked bread twice!
When Murph told me the new computer wouldn't be delivered until February 22 I was inconsolable, but as time passed, it didn't seem so long after all. When it arrived yesterday, a few days ahead of schedule, I had mixed emotions about it. I love it, new and fancy, faster and sleeker. But I also had a feeling I didn't quite expect-a momentary pang of sadness. Instead of being on the computer, Murph and I watched the Olympics together, relaxed on the couch drinking hot chocolate and just spent more time together instead of checking emails. These little moments, small and insignificant as they may seem, were nice and wouldn't have happened if the computer had been up & running. But alas, here I am, back on the computer, checking emails, updating my Facebook page and blogging. I think what I figured out from this whole thing was that my life without a computer is a bit harder, maybe an inconvenience, but not a tragedy. Sometimes moderation may be the key!
