Most days you’ll find me attached to a phone, responding Pavlovian-style to its every blip and beep, with large swaths of time hunched over a computer screen. Sometimes I’m so enamored with tech that I don’t notice it, other times I pine for more peace, a slower pace and recognize the unhealthiness in this constant stimulation. For anyone who works in the web world, I think the occasional break is essential to remember what it feels like to be and think without the crushing clutter of the internet, countless feeds and distractions.
Today wasn’t my first digital hiatus, but this one was a little different. Typically I plan them during vacation or long weekends when I put the rest of regular life on hold too.
The first pang came early. I missed a potentially cute cat instagram opportunity with Mr. Lumpkin pawing at the undecorated Christmas tree. From this, I could quickly move on. Will the internet crumble if it isn’t fed more cute cat pics? I think not.
And then my husband wanted to look at our budget for December. Uh oh. Total fail by noon. I logged in to my bank app, checked balances and such, and managed to sign off without checking email, facebook or the like. All was not lost.
Then came errand-running time. I haven’t gone grocery shopping sans iPhone since I don’t know when. During my trip, I missed a call from Louie (who wasn’t privy to the little experiment I was running), asking to add starch to the list. Oops. That extra trip could have been avoided. Annoying, but I’ll probably find something else we need.
But then there was this: I braved the gym without the luxury of my own music. Let me tell you something. My gym plays what must be the world’s most deplorable pop. I suffered through a remix of The Banana Boat Song and something that sounded like they sampled the whistle of a tea kettle. I can’t un-hear these tragic things, and don’t soon hope to revisit an unplugged gym trip.
Admittedly I overdo it on the screen time, and I like reminders like this of life unattached. I don’t want to live all my days full of splintered experiences, wherein one lovely moment documented means I’ve lost several others forever. I want those days that are blissfully free, unreachable. Just not on those simple days when I’m grocery shopping and hitting the gym.
And don’t worry internets, I’ve got plenty of great photos of my remarkably ginormous cat. In lieu of that missed morning pic, I offer up this beauty:
This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox
Today’s prompt:“Unplug for an hour, a half day, or a whole day. Choose a time that feels a little uncomfortable. How did you feel? What did you do? Reflect on your experience. How much did you unplug this year? How does this experience make you feel about unplugging in the coming year?”