A Brief Love Letter to the Internet on One of Our Good Days

Dear Internet,

We have a tumultuous relationship, you and I. To the outside world, all seems well between us. We appear thick as thieves and happy with our loot, but often there is trouble in paradise. After careful consideration, I've concluded that all of our problems stem from a single sore spot: an imbalance in our relationship's power dynamic. You don't need me, Internet, but I feel that I need you. I needed you to find work, and now I need you to do it. I need you to keep in touch with family and friends, to monitor my finances, and to pay my bills. Increasingly, I rely on you to tell me of the day's events and to verify facts and figures. Without you, how would I have gone about planning and preparing Wednesday's dinner party or purchased tickets to last night's symphony performance? As you can see, I am completely reliant on you and your abilities, a situation that the strong and independent woman I was raised to be really resents! On top of everything else, I hold you solely responsible for the rapid decline in my eyesight. I clearly need a new prescription, but since I used all of my 2009 Health Savings Account money on 300 dollars worth of contact lenses, I have to make my way through two years of blurry vision all because of you!

But this is a love letter, is it not? It is. And, dear Internet, I do love you so. Never have my affections been more obvious to me than they are right now. I recently returned from a long-awaited two-week trip to New York and Italy. As planned, I used this time away to truly be "away" -- from you, Internet. While I admit to brief but necessary encounters (flight confirmation, weather reports, Google Alerts set up in my name), I spent the rest of my vacation doing things without you: talking to people in person, walking around in the world, and even reading books! I wasn't tied to my Facebook newsfeed, or the latest news on Gawker, or even the arrival of Jeevan's bi-weekly masterpiece, The BK Communique. And it felt good! I was really able to enjoy face time with my loved ones, and to see the beautiful buildings of Florence and the ancient ruins of Rome with my very own eyes.

However, as often happens at the end of a vacation, I found myself more than ready to be going back home. I missed my friends; I missed the comfort of my very own bed; I missed the cool breezes of San Francisco...and I missed you, my beloved Internet. After time apart, I was ready to give our relationship another try. And, my darling, I'm glad that I did.

Since returning, I have realized that our relationship is not founded on power and need but, rather, one of help and support. With you, I am able to share travel experiences, stories, and photos with everyone I know. Were it not for you, Internet, when I said goodbye to my friends in Europe, it really would have been 'goodbye.' Together, with you, we have continued the conversations we started in Tuscany -- from our living rooms! Thanks to you, I was able to participate in the BK Shareholder's Meeting -- from an airplane! More than that, I've happily spent the last few hours watching the presentations I missed, using a social networking site that I even helped to build! With your guidance, sweet Internet, I have grown as a person and - more importantly - as a publishing professional.

But seriously, all kidding aside, I will no longer take our relationship for granted. You keep me connected, informed, authoritative and - always! - entertained. I am delighted to be back in your embrace, posting pictures, watching adorable animal videos, working on the weekend and, yes, catching up on my celebrity gossip.

I wish nothing but the best for us and, of course, for Lindsay Lohan.

Yours truly,
Bonnie