Motherboard

It has finally happened.

I sit down at my computer, push the little button that usually ignites a cacophony of beeps, lights and whirring (signifying all is right with my world) and...nothing. Nothing!! My computer has died. It won't turn on. My life's work over the past 3 years is contained inside this tiny black box; now seemingly harder to crack than Fort Knox. Oh sure, we perform regular back ups on our hard drive that ensure we never truly lose everything, but when the last back up was suddenly 3 weeks ago and you realize that you have written about 5,000 words since then (not to mention the pictures and videos logged), there's no stopping the panic that arises over your loss.

All this to say, my blog is suffering over this since my entries for the past 3 weeks (still works in progress) are now potentially lost forever.

I shouldn't be surprised. These days, computers crashing is just a fact of life, an unavoidable downside of a technologically advanced society. I know I'm not alone. It happens to the best of us. My Mom's computer recently died too. They told her it was the motherboard that simply ceased to function.

And do you know what? I don't blame it. It's not easy being a Motherboard these days, is it!? Functioning at the heart of a family system; coordinating and organizing activities and schedules, ensuring programs work together, keeping the trash emptied and the hard drive free of clutter, balancing the books, storing vital information, memories and ideas for everyone in the family...and yet able to retrieve it all at a moment's notice.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Come to think of it...perhaps this "Motherboard" is fried too. I keep wondering if it's because I am an older model...surely there is an updated version that can juggle life more proficiently. A faster, sleeker, smaller edition with new technology that revolutionizes simple chores like laundry, ironing and dishes. Indeed, some days it is all I can do to get through the breakfast hour without feeling the need for a nap.

This morning I sat down to my bowl of cereal only to realize that the milk(dated one week in the future) had already soured considerably. Frustrated, I began to dump the rest of the carton down the drain and rinse the inside appropriately for the recycling bin. Mid rinse, my cell phone chirped upstairs (the only place I can get cell reception in my current home), heralding the return call I have been waiting four days to receive. I left the water running and ran upstairs to answer it. The minute I began my conversation, (holding my head perfectly still, lest I lose service), my two wonderful children began the screaming fight of the century...a fight which eventually made its way up the stairs, landing right at my feet. Frantically gesturing at my children to stop the yelling and throwing them death glares that went unnoticed, I attempted to end the call gracefully while copying down the information needed with a pen...a pen that suddenly decided to run out of ink. After scratching the needed info onto a piece of paper (cave-man like), I hung up and spent the next ten minutes reading the riot act to my children regarding: screaming at my feet while I am on the phone, peaceful resolutions to sibling conflict and the lack of good pens these days.

By the time I composed myself, headed back downstairs to the table and turned the running water off in the sink, I seemed to have forgotten how this all began. Taking a huge bite of the cereal still waiting for me at my placemat, I suddenly remembered the sour milk which set the entire morning in motion...too late. Ugh.

On days like this I'm certain that I too am suffering from information overload, insufficient memory space or even a hardware meltdown.

This Motherboard definitely needs an upgrade.