I’ve been away for two weeks.  Not far.  Only about 15 minutes from home, but a world away at a lake cottage filled with cousins and grandparents.  On the lake there’s a canoe, rowboat and five loons.  When I wake up early to write the loons sing to me, that eerie, lovely haunting call that should remind all of us that there’s more to the world than blogs, email, phone calls and the rest.

I’ve always been good at vacation.  No email, complete disconnection.  True vacation – whether I’m at a lake cottage or discovering a new country.  It’s good for us not to be indispensable.  The world can get on without us.

But not when you have a book coming out in three weeks.  This I’ve learned.  My first book comes out in August, and I knew I was cutting it close, but this was the only week my brother could come with his family and I wanted my kids to have a good time splashing in sand and water before the real busyness hit. My publicist (bless her) called many days with radio interview dates, writing assignments for Huffington Post and the like.  During my lake time I kept my cell  phone on – something I’ve never done – used my husband’s iPhone to check email messages, wrote several articles, did some interviews and was even on TV one night.  Now that’s hard: to go from lake clothes and swimming among the lily pads to dress clothes and being transformed for the world of TV cameras.

It’s all good – I’m grateful my book is beginning to build interest and eager to get it launched right.  I knew this year my lake time might be disturbed and was prepared for it.  But, it begs the question.  Can we really go on vacation anymore?  Will the modern world allow us to truly disconnect?  Be 100% out of touch for a week, two weeks, a month or more?  For being unreachable is vital sometimes.  It’s when writers write.  It’s when we all recoup our true selves.  It seems to be disappearing in this instant, must-be-in-touch-at-all-times world.

Can we disconnect for vacation the way we used to? Do you?