What I Did Without Home Internet

I know a lot of people don’t have internet. Some do it by choice and some do it because they can’t afford to have it. I am so blessed to have access to the internet from home which is considered a luxury in a lot of places. For the past week and a half we have not had internet. As a person who spends 5+ hours on the internet each day blogging and networking it has been extremely hard without internet access at home (I did have email on my phone and went to Borders or Panera to use their wi-fi when I had the chance). At first I didn’t know what to do with myself every night after my children went to bed but here are 10 things that I have been able to do during the time I would normally be at my computer.

1. Picked up a book and immersed myself in the life of another through the printed pages.
2. Purged. I have a garbage bag ready to go to goodwill when I have the chance.
3. Checked my voicemail. I rarely use my phone to actually talk to people because most of my communication is done through Facebook, Twitter, email, or text message. My voicemail inbox was completely full and was actually not letting people leave messages (though people who know me don’t even try to because they know that I won’t get them).
4. Enjoyed quality time. Most “date” nights at home involve watching a movie while I’m online checking and responding to emails. Last night I actually watched the movie.
5. I slowed down. I’m always rushing because I have so much to do each day. Without access to the internet my daily work load was cut in half so it was nice to take my time doing things and enjoy what I was doing because I had no reason to rush.
6. Wrote with a pen and a paper. I make lists daily but other than that I don’t write by hand much anymore. I sat on my couch with a pen and notepad and wrote five posts (this being one of them).
7. Cleaned. Things got cleaned that normally get looked over.
   
8. Had game night with my little sister. If we had internet we probably wouldn’t have had this bonding time over Backgammon and m&m’s.
9. Enjoyed extra primping time. Normally a quick shower, hair in a ponytail, and sweats will do when I have loads of work online but this week I spent the extra time on myself and it was fabulous!
10. Had conversations. Real life ones.

While I don’t think that I want to endure another week and a half offline I have decided to take one day a week away from this online world and focus solely on my family.

What have you spent your time doing when you stepped away from the computer?