For as long as I can remember, I have had connection with the Internet. In the beginning when we founded the web site, it was by dial-up method, which I was awed by, but in the last year, having access to broadband and then to wireless made life so easy for me. As the web site is part of my main employment, I obviously need it more than most people. In Australia and USA, broadband or wireless Internet is available in many of the hotels. In fact, most of the hotels, especially those of the larger chains, have one or the other, and dial up is a thing of the past. Imagine my horror when on my recent visit to England, I could not obtain either broadband or wireless on my own computer! At our first hotel, they did have broadband but only for those who in England had a server. Thankfully, I have always been able to get into my server?s mailbox by going into my post office. However, it meant I could not download information into my own computer, neither could I send information out, such as astrological information or attachments. I finally managed to use the Internet Cafe in the hotel, but again I had to use my post office. The frustration of this was enormous, not to say the inconvenience. Alan my partner, could not get into his email at all! The next hotel was even worse, there was no wireless or broadband, only dial up, so Alan used his phone card to dial into USA to download his email, and then send his email through this system. The third hotel had wireless. YES! However, one had to go downstairs to the bar, download the email, next go up to the room to access it and reply to it, and then go down to the bar to send it again! Yes, you could have sat in the bar, but there was so much cigarette smoke that you could not see the screen, and trying to channel in that atmosphere was impossible.
The whole issue has been very frustrating indeed, but I have learned much from the experience. One most important thing I have learned is that I can actually go a few days without answering my email. Secondly, people – if you explain to them – do not mind waiting for answers. I have always prided myself on answering email as soon as I received it, and of doing my email/Internet work when I get it, usually on the same day. I realized my friends in the spiritual realms were trying to show me something, and that is, when I take my sabbatical, I CAN let the email go a few days and not worry about it.
In the past, I was always very prompt with email, but it was their way of saying, “Hey, chill out, don’t worry, it will not matter if it does wait a day or two.” It was a valuable learning for me, because I was concerned at how I would cope with email when I was supposed to be taking time off, especially as the email is increasing each day. What eventuated as a disappointment actually turned out to be a blessing. Ironically, it happened when Mercury was retrograde. Normally, Mercury retrograde does not bother me, but of course this time, it had a message for me. I am so thankful I was able to see the messages, because there are messages in everything that happens to us. Even at the beginning, compared to past behaviour, I was very laid back about it. Now that I have got the message, I have a feeling from now on, once we get to Amsterdam, things are going to be a lot better computer/Internet wise. Now, isn’t that amazing!
Margaret B.