Our router died last Thursday morning.

By 9 a.m., I was on the phone with Verizon. As it turns out, they had to mail us one. You can’t pick it up at a nearby location — which would seem logical — the only option is UPS. I explained to the Verizon representative that I worked from home and needed the connection. He promised overnight air and suggested Starbucks in the meantime. But that’s not really an option with a 5-year-old in tow.

So Thursday afternoon I headed to a friend’s house with my lap top and son and did what I could. My hope was that the router would arrive by noon the next day so I could get to work.

But there was no such luck. It appeared that next day air might turn into a six day wait, thanks to empty promises and the holiday weekend. But amazingly enough, UPS came through on a Saturday — just after I resigned myself to being unconnected for the duration.

It’s amazing how paralyzed I felt without internet access. Not being able to work was a huge factor, but there was so much more. I had no idea how much I had come to rely on the internet and the instant information and connections it provides. I had hoped to collect information on Haiti donation sites for our Family Religious Education program on Sunday. I wanted to order some curtains for my living room. And I was at a loss of where my Sunday morning women’s running group was going to meet.

But on the flip side, it became blatantly clear how much time the internet was sucking from my life. Whenever I had a free moment, I was checking my e-mail or perusing Facebook. Without that option, I could balance the checkbook, tidy the kitchen and read a few pages of my book in those brief breaks. I even found that I was able churn out briefs for work so much faster without the distraction of e-mail and Facebook constantly at my fingertips.

But even though there was one small positive side to being cut off from the World Wide Web, I hope it never happens again. Instant communication is something I simply cannot live without.