Patience, nature, and addiction

Clouds over my house

No internet connection. No netflix, books, Instagram, syncing 2Do across devices, syncing calendars, uploading and downloading photos, Pinterest, no nothin'. We have had only the most sporadic connection for the last two months. (It's a long story and the ending has not come yet.) We have paid AT&T an obscene amount of money so that we can limp along with an air card and an account for my iPad. I used my iPhone so much that, even though I have an unlimited data plan, they retaliated by slowing down the connection. I depend upon the mercy of my friends and local coffee shops. 

For reasons unknown, I have a connection right now. It could go away at any second. I don't like living in this risk zone.

I tell myself, "Well, buck up, girl. You lived without the internet for most of your life." Problem is, I have come to depend on these devices and apps to keep me organized, focused, and of course, entertained.  

I believe that there are important lessons in this experience and that I had best pay attention: patience, nature, and addiction. Without dragging you through the depths of it, I have realized that I need to cultivate patience. It's not natural in my family. When I am holed up in the air conditioned house, I am not outside working in the garden or just being with Mother Nature. When I am on the internet, as we say, it's like being on a drug. I am enthralled and I can't Just Say No. I have to look at one more blog, one more Pinterest item, upload one more photo to Instagram. I think this interruption of my addiction is a good thing. I am learning how to survive on my own without my drug of choice. As any addict will tell you, this ain't easy but it's worth it.