Well fellow webmasters and mistresses, it is time to play “Let’s Tell The
Truth”!
How many of you will admit that whilst sitting at this computer for hours
on end you have put on an extra 10 lbs?
No one? Well I sure have!
How about your household chores? How have yours fared?
Perfectly kept house eh?
I am here to tell you that is not mine.
I have forgotten to feed the cat for literally 2 days, that is until she
climbed up on my keyboard and refused to move.
I have left the same clothes in the dryer for 3 days straight. That was
some seriously wrinkled stuff, let me tell you!
I have missed garbage day twice in a row. That is not a pretty thing
anywhere at any time, but especially not in Texas in the summer.
Who else is living on food they can scrounge up easy and fast from the
fridge while they work on that “perfect new site” and catch up on those
tgp submissions and then put up that extra free site?
At the end of the day who’s eyes are so heavy they can’t see the screen
and they are not really sure if they did eat or drink, or if they did,
what it was?
That would be me, yes.
Has anyone else reached for that soda or that coffee on the table next to
you only to find they had put it there this morning and it is now
afternoon and hot, or stone cold?
No? Good lord! You people are so organized and disciplined.
There must be some humor in wrinkled clothing, smelly garbage and a cat
who won’t leave your keyboard, I just can’t find it.
That of course brings me to the very real social and health issues here.
Yes, we do have our duty to our sites and our ambitions to become “real”
webmasters, but we also have a duty to our home our health and if
appropriate our families.
Things in my case were in a dire state, my jeans were a tinsy bit (ok, a
lot) too snug. My cat was ignoring me, the dog did not know me and
growled at me, and the neighbors thought me agoraphobic.
My sister who lives in the other half of this duplex separated only by a
door, was refusing to speak to me because for 3 days in a row I had
missed the dinners she so carefully prepared.
She also says I would not answer the phone.
I deny this because I know I never heard it ring!
I was busy on another set of sites!
Actually this epiphany came right about the time I wiggled, squirmed,
held my breath, and wedged myself into my favorite jeans that fit me 3
weeks ago.
Ok, I said to myself. Listen up Self. A new day has come.
Those blog posts must wait. That free site can build itself. Those tgps
will still be here later. I am on a mission of self improvement!
I wiggled out of those jeans (nearly as hard a task as getting in them
was).
I slid on a pair of sweats, and took a look in the mirror and gasped. I
had even forgotten my best friend Lady Clairol!
I shuddered and looked away from the mirror before I the image did me
irreparable damage.
The first order of the day was to return my hair to it’s gorgeous and unnatural color!
A half hour later I was out of the bathroom and feeling much better. My
hair was properly clairoled and gleaming with those special highlights
nature did not bestow upon me.
I cast a longing look at my desk but did not give into temptation!
That very day I cleaned my house from top to bottom.
I reintroduced myself to the dog and cat, both of whom were still highly
suspicious of me.
I went for a very long walk and watched the neighbors peering out from
their windows wondering if I was over my agoraphobia and could imagine
them asking each other if maybe I was on meds.
I made friends with the sun again.
I made nice to my sister and she more or less started talking to me
again.
I set my house in order and felt much much better for it.
Yes, there were many times I was tempted to sit down and write “just one”
blog post or build just one gallery but I held firm in my resolve.
I stayed away from my computer the entire day.
Come on guys I must be honest here, I was miserable. Plain old miserable
down dog unhappy.
I went to bed still feeling properly righteous, though a lot like an
addict in withdrawal.
My cat was snuggled beside me and my dog at the foot of the bed happily
playing with my toes. My house was sparkling clean, my hair it’s proper
color, but I was still miserable.
The next morning I got up and made coffee, and sat down at my computer to
make up for all the work I had missed the day before.
It was midnight before I realized that I had not eaten. Something was
burning, and in the oven where I had put in a frozen pizza at some point
in the day instead of pizza there was a blackened lump. The house smelled like burned cow pies.
All was back to normal.
Now to be entirely serious. It was not all that bad, or maybe it was.
However, what I have done since then is to try and set aside an hour in
the day to walk my dog, and play with my cat.
I also find out if I have lost any laundry in the dryer and dust my floors before the bunnies take over my house.
An hour in the evening I try and dedicate to my sister. She is a kind
soul and does not understand my addiction to my profession.
How successful have I been?
Well, my jeans fit right again.
The dog has not growled at me today, and the cat sits on my lap not the
keyboard.
However, I just opened up an email from my sister next door and it says:
“Hello, How have you been? I miss you.”

Peace

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