9 Days ... Who Knew I Could Do It?

It's been nine days since I've spent a considerable length of time here on Gather.  Sure, I've cheated by popping in, going through email, and leaving a few comments ... but, all in all, my recent visits were just that ... a brief handful of minutes here and there when I wouldn't get "caught".  My family is treating me like I'm on some sort of detox program ... Gather Detox.  Funny, right?  "See, Mom? You don't have to be on there so much."  Yeah, I get the point, people --- but I can quit whenever I want.  Little do they know!  Now I'm a closet Gatherer?  An opportunistic Gatherer?  I have to slip it in between this and that or do it when others are sleeping?  Who knew it would come to this!

It seems that life just kinda got in the way of my recreational activities this past 9 days.  Well, that and our unseasonably balmy weather.  It's January and yet we're at nearly 60 degrees here today.  On Monday I got a pedicure ... and wore flip flops out of the salon ... with a short-sleeved top!  That day it was almost 70.  Couldn't believe it.  I am certainly NOT complaining!  I actually wish it would last a while longer, but with snow looming in the coming weekend (why does it always have to snow on a weekend?) I know it won't last.

I did get a lot of things done this past weekend ... even though looking over my house you might not notice.  How does that happen?  You put a few hours into cleaning, purging, organizing, etc. and it's just not that noticeable.  Either I had less clutter than I thought or I need to do several more passes of purging.  I cleaned out the medicine cabinets, I went through the linens and got rid of the things we never seem to use, and I went through the kids' clothes, too.  I guess I learned a lesson about putting too much time into my home ... it's better invested in time on Gather.  Why clean out your expired meds and vitamins when you could be working towards a Borders gift card?  Duh!

SO, in a nutshell, I left Gather temporarily to spend more time in my real life.  I know, I know ... how dare I.  My kids are older now (one turns 10 this month, the other 12 in March) and they don't require quite as much of me any more, but yet I find myself being lured away from the computer for homework and movies and walking and playing board games.  Ugh.  It's different, yes, but it's not Gather.  It's restrictive and close-minded in comparison.  It's interaction with a set number of individuals (and those who are not even in my age group, which presents it's own unique challenges in communication) versus having an endless number of minds with which to share thoughts and experiences.  I apologize - truly I do.  I didn't do any travelling, photography, or anything too horribly exciting that I could share with you.  I have brought absolutely NOTHING of measurable value to our online connection since the first of the year.  So, I'm afraid I'm just a disappointing connection this week.  But next week I'll be better, I promise.

Well, my kids just got home from school ... so back to my reality.  Perhaps I'll log in for a short spell tonight ... somewhere between the conclusion of the new Ghost Hunters International and my bedtime.  I do have one interesting story about woodchucks that I could share ...  good for at least a few chuckles.