Oy! I went wireless :(

Boy, did I feel lost this week! In a Divinely orchestrated perfect-storm, my technological veins were severed one by one. First my Whatsapp died and refused to be reinstalled. So I did a software reload, which killed my BBM and still won’t resurrect Whatsapp. Then my voicemail went and finally the phone itself morphed into a “landline”, because some gremlin drains the battery (even the brand new one) within minutes of unplugging the power source.

Timing is everything, so having my tele-collapse just before heading out of town was tough enough. G-d, in His infinite humour then decided to crash my laptop hard-drive just hours before my wife and I headed off to Cape Town for a pair of weekend weddings.

Cape Town’s crystal blue sky and seas were matched by the cleanliness of a streamlined world-class city. And I couldn't even Tweet about it! When my two year-old dipped his feet into the ocean and fed the seagulls, I couldn’t Whatsapp our family group as I normally would. My blog lay fallow, my Facebook timeline empty and a mob of people now have a faribel because I didn’t take their calls or reply to their text messages.

Don’t get me wrong- that is the recipe for a real holiday- sans technology. But, our coastal excursion wasn’t a leisure trip- I had speaking engagements and weddings to attend to, not to mention a community back home with no idea that their rabbi had been placed on involuntary leave.

My computer is BH back and working better than ever (yes, I back up regularly and so should you). My phone is in its death throes, but I’m hoping for a stand-in until my upgrade falls due- speedily in our days. I feel somewhat reconnected, a feeling similar to the one you get when your generator brings on the fridge and some lights during a blackout. I’m wired again and feeling quite relieved about it.

Feeling disconnected is horrible.

We all need to be plugged in. Each of us is a mobile device with a slick operating system and a string of dazzling apps. But, the newest sensational gadget is useless unless it’s connected to the Network. We only function when we recharge our souls regularly, and we need to stay connected to our community network to keep ourselves abuzz. Nobody wants to be a “great phone” that’s just not online. If you ever feel disconnected, step into Shul, we’ll plug you in.