For a week, the Internet at my office hasn’t been working on a steady basis. My co-workers and I would lose service and then regain it sporadically. Needless to say it was an odd week. I personally felt as if were under a medieval-type siege since we were so cut off from the outside world.
As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I am only a few short emails and instant messages away from being an Internet addict. I use the Internet as a tool at work for conducting research, and personally to connect with family and friends. Besides Catholic New York, I do not read newspapers in their original newsprint, preferring instead to read the daily news from various places online. Coming into work each morning and seeing that my connection to the outside world was down made me feel as if I were being left in the dark.
The first thing I did when the Internet would come back up is read and respond to my emails. While that may not seem like the most productive thing to do at work – for me, it was a necessity. Email is the primary way that I connect with most of my friends, as well as most of my sources for articles. I was surprised to realize how lonely it felt to be without that tool. It really showed me how important personal connections with others are. Especially now, with the holiday season fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to try to make an effort to reach out to others.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to reach out to those who may be in need of friendship as the holiday season approaches?
Footprints on the Journey 
The internet outage was a real handicap. It’s not just email, it’s a lifeline and a tether. It’s communication, inspiration and information. It’s certainly the way I stay in touch with family, friends and colleagues. I felt like the poor Chilean miners cut off from the outside world. I actually started sending out hand written notes and cards to people I wanted to share something with.
LikeLike