For a number of weeks, I have not had any access to the internet. Living in such a remote location, I am accustomed to frequent power interruptions. And generally, they last no more than a day, then life gets back to normal. Recently, however, the power came back on but the internet did not. Life certainly felt far from normal.

At first I felt very uncomfortable without “connection”. Slowly, I shifted my perspective and found that my internet disconnection actually provided the opportunity to reconnect with myself.

Like most folks, I am used to staying in contact with family, friends and colleagues via the internet. I surf for news, business, and I blog of course.  Without regular contact I felt truly removed and alone. The abrupt and unexpected termination of the internet was very disorienting for me.

I know that in previous times in my life when I ended up disoriented due to illness, stress or other disasters, I managed to rebalance myself successfully.  Usually this rebalancing act occurred naturally as I realized that the only thing that I could control was my attitude.

With this familiarity and a more balanced attitude, I chose to remind myself of things I really enjoy and rarely do. I chose to reconnect with myself.  So, I took time to pick and eat wild raspberries, create new recipes in the cabin, gaze into a campfire, and count shooting stars.  I chose to explore new trails, swim in cold water, and teach new friends how to knit.

Even now, as systems slowly come back to life, I feel grateful for the experience of this unplanned disconnection as I re-learned how to reconnect to myself and life.