Without technology

There are days when I read someone's report of an idyllic week away from cell phones and the Internet and they always wax poetic praising the peace and quiet, the uninterrupted life and I wonder is that something I want. No midnight emails from an insomniac client, no "I am not selling you anything but, calls when I forget to look at caller ID before answering, no actually being able to catch up on work that got delayed because I goofed off for a few hours.

No it is not what I want. This morning my grandson who headed across the pond for a year abroad leaving behind a worried Mom called her for free over the Internet. It was a quick report, he is safe and sound, has found the subway and the grocery and procured a pillow. Classes start in a week giving him lots of time to explore and adjust his internal time clock. Ten years ago that would have been an oversees call and carefully meted out because of expense. Now she can send off an email, schedule a quick face to face Skype call, reduce the expanse of the pond to a mere rivulet.

I shop on line for lots of things certainly the mundane. Midnight order to Babies r us for a new diaper pail for poop bags. Conference call distraction to order new filters for the fridge. Check flight tracker and set an alert to know when to head to the airport to pick up hubby. I don't want to give those things up. I get to follow the lives of my youngest grandbabies on their mothers blogs and beg for a new glimpse of the quickly growing youngest. It isn't the same as in person but when I do get to visit I don't feel so disconnected.

So a week with no cell phone or Internet isn't on my wish list. A week of gentle breezes, visits with the babies, fun conversations with my family with some sun, sand and the magic chef keeping us well fed now that IS on my wish list.