Chance is 8, as you all know. He has discovered the ‘internet’ and ‘internet friends.’

A few weeks ago, as I tucked him into bed he talked about how excited he felt to have a friend to play a game with online. I could feel his deliriousness around this new adventure. All of which, as we know, took place in his mind.

The next few days, our lives took on this eery familiar feeling (familiar because I know how it feels when I do it) of Chance being ‘absent.’ He wasn’t with us. He – his mind and being – were over in that game thinking about the next experience. Chance is already such a futuristic thinker, this brought a whole new dimension to our experience with him.

I would say, “Chaaaaaaance, wheeeeeerrrreeeee are youuuuuu?” And he would smile knowing I knew exactly where he was.

He would ask us to hurry up and get home so he could meet his ‘friend’ online at 4. “Hurry, mom!” he would chide.

Then, his friends disappeared… and he stopped being quite so enamored with this new world he had discovered. But he was already bitten by the bug.

Why am I sharing this? Well, because I figure you have had the same experience. I certainly have. When AOL (You’ve got mail!) was big, back in 1996 or so… I would race home and plop down in front of the computer and, just like Chance, go into my mind and create amazing adventures. It was fun. It was exciting. What would happen? I didn’t know. It was all so interactive!

It was also mind-numbing. And, it blocked out hours and hours and hours.

What was I creating? Adventure… fun… virtually.

And THIS is why I don’t OFTEN go near places like Twitter or other virtual black holes… (for me)… because I know I can lose myself (literally) inside of this energy. When I’m lost, I’m not choosing… I’m just gone.

I come to my blog to chat with you all. I connect and then disconnect. Maybe I’ll venture into Facebook as EVERYONE I know PLEADS with me to discover that whole new world. But for right now… this blog is one adventure I love and it doesn’t swallow me up.

For now, it’s me and Twitter… how oh how to Tweet without feeling like my mind is saying delete, delete!