Out Of Sync

I have an iPod Touch that I just love.  I use it for email, web browsing, facebook and other apps.  I even occasionally listen to music on it.  I used to plug my iPod into our laptop every night.  I mainly did this to charge the iPod, but it also gave the laptop and the iPod a chance to sync up.  The two devices would share any new music or apps that they had downloaded.  Since I was doing this every night, the process didn't take very long - not much changed in a day.  Then, I bought a separate charger for the iPod.  My nightly hookups to the laptop ceased.  Now, when I do bother to attach to the laptop, it's an involved process.  Like a soldier returning from war, the iPod has changed noticeably since it was last home.  The two devices exchange into the night with the iPod sharing all its experiences.  Eventually, they sync up and the laptop once again understands the iPod.

I'm only sort of here this week.

The Fourth of July weekend was great.  We saw many friends, enjoyed good food, watched fireworks had a generally great time.  But, I was only partially engaged in the experience.  This feeling has carried over into the work week.  I'm getting things done but I'm also a little distracted.  Last Saturday, my oldest son, B, left for a week of Boy Scout camp.  It's the longest he's been away from us, the longest he's lived in a tent, the longest he's been responsible for keeping to a schedule on his own.  This is the source of my distraction.

The weather was extremely hot and humid over the weekend, accompanied by some strong thunderstorms.  I thought about him, sleeping in his tent, getting progressively dirtier with each passing day.  I know the camp has our telephone number and if there was an emergency, we would know.  But, I'm just as concerned about the non-emergency things.  Is he making friends?  Does he feel lonely at night?  Is he glad he went to camp?  Is he happy?  I'm so accustomed to knowing these things that not knowing feels all wrong.

Tomorrow night we will go to the camp for family night.  Once again, I will sync up with my son.