As most of you know, I have been having computer problems for a while now. I'd get the laptop "fixed", would use it for a while, then it would go all blue-screen on me yet again. This last episode was it's final gasp, and the laptop that had served me (and others before me) so well for about 10 years was officially pronounced as crashed and unrecoverable. So I have been without a computer and unable to get online and Spark for what seems like forever (a little over a week, lol).

I was surprised to find out that I missed my Spark time. I found myself maneuvering my schedule so I could visit various friends and somehow work in a request to use their computer so I could check my online stuff for a few minutes. Once online, I would quickly give my email a glance, but then would high-tail it to Spark People and try to cram all my Spark tasks into those few precious minutes. (As most of you know, Sparking is often not a sprint but a marathon in terms of time spent, so I always left these borrowed computer sessions feeling frustrated by all the things I didn't have time to do.)

Apparently I do more on the Spark site than I realized---and I now know that my Spark time means more to me than just spinning the wheel, tracking my food, tracking my exercise, etc. I felt very frustrated by not having the time to read and respond to my friends' blogs or postings, and I realized that these new connections had become very meaningful for me. The support I receive from Sparking is now an important part of my overall health and wellness experience, and the connections I have discovered here help sustain me, motivate me, and encourage me.

I am in the process of scraping together some money to get a used, refurbished computer (really can't afford one of the new ones....wish I could, so many cool bells and whistles on the new ones...oh well). So hopefully by this time next week, I will have an easier time getting online to enjoy some Spark time.

Thanks to all of you who have written messages, emails, and sent spark goodies to me during my Spark absence. I appreciate all the support!