To Internet Outages

By five-fifteen Hugo’s morning milk has been warmed and set quietly at the top of the stairs – just outside his bedroom door – ready for  the six-thirty wake-up-pee-and-back-to-sleep call.  By five-twenty the office is warm and cozy, lit softly by the glow from the paper IKEA lamp, and buzzing with the soothing hum of the heater. Tea is piping hot, computer is awoken, screens burst to life, and work begins.  At least three solid hours of blissful quiet- the most productive of my day.

Except not today. Today the internet goes down. So today there will be no work.

And today just so happens to be babysitter day.

So today, Stéphane and I climb some ice. Long overdue and not epic in any way, but wonderful in the way first dates are because it is awkward (total rookie rope tangle), new (it has been so long since we’ve climbed ice together), giddy (just the two of us!), and just plain freakin’ fantastic. 

So here’s to internet outages: may they occur more often and when we least expect, and may they allow us moments to reconnect to ourselves, each other, and to those things that give real meaning to our lives.