Seduction

Each night, instead of going to bed, a bed I share with my husband, I experience a pull that keeps me away from our bed, a pull that drags me into another world.

My friends can’t comprehend it. While my husband is very understanding, he is growing tired with my side of the bed being empty. I want to be there with him too. I want kisses and cuddles and feeling the warmth of his body next to mine, but each night as I think about turning in for the night, I am once again seduced to spending the night away from my marital bed.

You can read here about how I’m a monogamous person, how I don’t like to cheat. But it feels like every night I am cheating on my husband and I just can’t seem to stop.

Image stolen from here

The online world has drawn me in and I feel like I’ve lost control. It started, as most relationships do, with an innocent flirtation with email, then I started using a reader, then ebay, twitter was it’s next conquest, facebook came a few years later and now I spend my nights reading blogs, occasionally writing a post on my own blog. I shop online, I talk online, I use Skype, MSN Messenger, GTalk (not at the same time but ALL THE TIME!)

I know I need to detox from this online world but I’m finding it difficult to pull the plug. Last night I wanted to perform two simple tasks, order a condolence gift for my cousin (FYI – if you are looking for something a little different, but completely beautiful, click here) and plan the menu for the dinner I’m cooking for friends on Saturday night. This took me 5 hours!

I thought I’d pop over to one of my favourite websites, just for a second… which reminded me I hadn’t read some of the posts I was interested in at The Punch (Read THIS ONE – you’ll thank me later!), which reminded me I hadn’t read Crikey, so I had to go there.

Then I remembered to check Ebay, which somehow reminded me to check Facebook which took me somewhere else and I spent hours clicking on this link and that one.

Sidebar… Do you remember how a few years ago, everybody would ‘poke’ each other on Facebook? Thankfully that was a short-lived hobby! I hated the poking. I was tempted to change my status to “notice how nobody pokes anybody anymore” but I feared I’d be slaughtered with pokes.

I’m back. Sort of… I’ve checked Ebay 6 times while writing this so far, but I am bidding on an item that ends soon and I am full of excuses as to why I HAD to check it… Don’t worry; I won’t bore you with them! And the item has ended and I lost… oh well, I’m watching another 4 items just like it!

I need to find a better balance, my house is untidy, I’m exhausted from leading a double life and my Mr Hat is more like Mr Cranky Pants at the moment!

How have you juggled your online and offline lives?