I am sooo connected

I only recently entered the 21st century. While I am not a COMPLETE dinosaur, it wasn't until recently (i.e., this past year) that I acquired a smart phone. I just started blogging a couple of months ago. And I activated my Facebook and Twitter accounts even more recently. I have an 18 year old stepson who is constantly texting on his iphone while playing his video game online and skyping with his friends on his laptop. I have often wondered, is he ever really in the present moment in his immediate environment? Is he ever really just HERE? Honestly, I just didn't see the point of it all. To me, it was like reality t.v. or McDonald's -- completely unnecessary yet sadly ubiquitous.

Then I became the recipient of a technological onslaught, if you will. My husband needed to make a rare out of town trip leaving me stranded with our 3 year old twins. In a clearly guilt-driven gesture, he bought me the new Android smart phone completely unsolicited. In a second guilt-driven gesture (for reasons undisclosed), he bought me an ipad for mother's day. At around the same time, I was approached by the editor of our twins' club blog who was looking for a co-editor to help her out. Hence the activation of my social media accounts, the hallmark of all modern day bloggers.

So in a very short time period, I found myself driven to the online community at an alarmingly rapid rate. Whereas in the past I had limited my online activity to checking emails occasionally, now I am posting and tweeting and blogging to boot! Honestly, it is a bit overwhelming not to mention quite time consuming.

I have become a 43-year old variation of my teenaged stepson, much to the chagrin of my dear husband. As an aside, I find his recriminations very interesting considering that he is the one who bought me all my technological toys (including my first Mac laptop) in the first place.

I knew I had crossed the Rubicon today when we went shopping at Costco. As we entered the mammoth store, I realized that I had left my phone in the car. I had a brief moment of phantom limb syndrome. Wow. Is this who I am now?