Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Addiction

Thanks to my brother, my parents recognized my symptoms early.

“I think you’re using the wrong method,” my bro told my mom one night after she shouted upstairs that dinner was ready. “If you want B.J. to come to a meal, you’re going to have to instant message her.”

He was right. I had a problem. Only – loss of appetite was only the beginning.

Soon I began to exhibit other strange symptoms. Symptoms like staying up all night, and experiencing tremors when someone mentioned the words “lightning” and “modem” in the same sentence.

While my family noticed my problem, they were at a loss as to how to stop its frightening effects.

They tried everything.

They made vacation plans on remote mountainsides where the closest Internet signal was 50 miles away. They signed me up for extracurricular activities like baseball and knitting. They hid my laptop in the bathtub… under the water.

Sadly, my rehabilitation was always temporary. No matter what the road blocks, I somehow found my way back to the Internet.

“If you don’t watch out, B.J.’s going to run off with some man she meets online,” my brother warned.

That was 8 years ago. I still get tremors when anyone mentions the Internet. Mostly because I’m so scared of how I am going to tell my kids that I really DID meet their dad online.

It’s a crazy thought – how something so addicting could be so wonderful as to give me the love of my life. Still, I realize this problem I have is a real addiction. And like all addicts, I admit – I can quit any time I want to.

At least, that’s what I told my mom in our last Instant Message.

5 comments:

Deb said...

The meal thing is so me. I can't tell you how often family members say "When it's time for a meal, GET OFF THE COMPUTER!".

It's just that there's all this cool stuff to learn and new people to chat with and potential friends just waiting to be made. *is drooling now* :)

Debbie

Bare Naked Blog w/Bekah said...

LOL, glad to know I'm not alone! :) So many fun people to discover.

Anonymous said...

My daughter met and was courted by her future husband via e-mail. Granted, the online introduction came via his sister so it wasn't an out-of-the-blue internet stalking thing, but we still cautioned her. As the relationship unfolded, however, it was evident that God was at work and even now we marvel at the intricacy of his plan. When something is His will every bit and byte falls into place.

Carol/Careann

Ames said...

i had a secret online boyfriend all during my WOL days and was too embarrassed to tell anybody. but now you know. turns out he is from tulsa. i am so scared i am going to run into him one day. wouldn't that be CRAZY

Bare Naked Blog w/Bekah said...

Carol - My situation was similar. I met my husband when we were 14, but I don't remember it. I met his sisters again about 6 years later and discovered him through their blogs later. It's so fun to hear other people tell their stories! Thanks for sharing.

Ames - That makes me laugh. Now THAT would be an awesome blog post!


I know all about waiting--for the right guy, for high school to end, for my boobs to come in (two out of three ain't bad).



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