Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Addicted to People

You know what I’d like? Internet access anywhere! On the road, in the car, at Dairy Queen, or wherever you are. I’m sure it’s coming, but it’s not here yet and I sure missed it this weekend. We were away from Friday morning until Monday night, either on the road or with friends, and could not access our e-mail, check Facebook, or post to our blog in any way that was easy or convenient. Wow, did we ever feel out of touch! I guess it’s good practice for being back in Burkina, though. We’ll have no choice but to be off-line each time we go out to the village.

What we lacked in cyber-contact, however, we gained in face-to-face encounters. Facebook and e-mail are great for staying in touch and keeping up to date on what’s happening with others in our social network, but it’s mostly surface stuff. There’s nothing like actually being together with other people for deep, meaningful discussions on life, work, purpose, experiences, joys, fears, problems faced, issues resolved (or not), and things learned. We had a weekend full of long, discussion-filled meals with friends, partners, and colleagues that were food for the soul as well as the body.

We also did three presentations and spent hours on the road. So we came home happy but zonked. Spent today working on end-of-the-month financial stuff and wading through my e-mail in-box, trying to distinguish between what needed immediate attention and what could wait until tomorrow. For breaks, I surfed around Facebook, catching up on status updates, new photos, and notes posted by all those in my network. Slowly but surely, I’m feeling in touch with those in my cyberworld again, my lifeline to the world when I'm alone in my office. Some would call this an addiction. Well, to paraphrase Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof”, if wanting to keep in touch with people is a sickness, may the Lord smite me with it and may I never recover!

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