Life Outside the Box

When people speak about living “life outside the box” they are usually speaking about a grand metaphor I’m not smart enough to understand. But for me, today, the term is much more prosaic. The “box” I’m speaking of is my computer, which ever-so-kindly decided not to turn on Friday morning. I stared dumbly at the blank screen. “My entire life is on this computer!” I protested, hoping the computer might feel sorry for me. “Now what am I supposed to do!?” I demanded. For several frustrating hours I troubleshooted the problem to no avail before bringing it to the shop where I’m hopeful for a full recovery. Until then, I’m running off of my old laptop which has just enough juice to let me take care of essential tasks, but not enough to let procrastinate the day away. It has been a frustrating few days, but it has also been a nice reminder that life is what happens when I’m not on my computer.

Now this is living!

I work from home, so I spend a large part of my day in the same place staring at the same spot. Who knows what Eko thinks about this bizarre ritual of mine, but I am certainly glad he only tolerates the practice for so long. He is my perpetual reminder to leave the digital world and embrace the real one.

On Friday, with my desktop out of commission and my laptop not yet up and running, Eko and I enjoyed a long walk  through the neighborhood. I pushed deadlines, duties and all things computer from my mind. As we sat down for lunch, I thought only of enjoying my time outside. Eko similarly had a one track mind.

“Oh look, the table is perfect height for me!”

He really turned on the puppy dog eyes when the pizza showed up

“No Will, but seriously. Let me get a slice of pizza”

I have a new video, new photos and plenty of other good stuff to share once the desktop is up and running again, but this week may be a bit of a digital patch-work. The good news is that it leaves plenty of time to head out and find new adventures.

So next time your pet is bugging you while you’re on the computer, remember to thank them for reminding you what’s important in life!