I am currently sitting outside with the breeze blowing my hair in my face, writing with a pen on paper.

As my son digs for ladybugs and throws his plastic golf club in the budding lilac, I feel peace.  I chat with him as I write;  this pad posing nowhere near the barrier my laptop does.

There is a simplicity in this arrangement – a simplicity that I crave while being pulled to live online.

My paper is now stained with bubbles that have met their demise to the sounds of my son screeching in delight.  Simple things -  pen to paper, delight, bubbles, ladybugs…

It is in these moments that I strike a balance – when my online complements my offline without interfering with it.

Back to basics. Pen in hand.

I love living online; I’ve been doing it for 15 years – interacting with people, building relationships, and meeting wonderful people who have enriched my life.  People who have become dear friends.  But, living online has to fit into my life – the life that doesn’t need a computer to exist, or a wireless connection to thrive.

As I watch my son leave a plate of dirty cucumber slices out for the squirrels, I realize how much I take for granted in this world I know – a simplicity and an appreciation for what is right before my eyes and in reach of not only my fingertips, but my arms.