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![]() I feel like crap. I got a cold suddenly and have been hostage to the comfort of my bed for the better part of 36 hours. I’ve slept, Netflix binged, talked to my Mom for an hour and a half straight, surfed the web and social media gorged. ![]() In my effort to convalesce, I made a hot toddy two nights in a row to “sweat it out” (whatever ‘it’ is) and I have to admit; the toddies WORKED. Well, almost. Still feeling crappy, but less so. It’s amazing what the body can do with time. It’s also amazing that during that time, my mind was heavily preoccupied with the need to stay connected to the outside world. I mean, I obviously couldn’t go out while sick, but at the very least I could stay current. In the middle of texting someone, a thought hit me: What am I doing? STOP! Sure, there wasn’t really much I could do as I try to recuperate as quickly as I could to get back to “normal” life; but should I be doing this? I was feverishly typing on a glass screen that has all the technology that I don’t understand underneath it which is communicating with networks and WiFi to send words to another person miles away. That moment was when I realized that I needed to TRULY disconnect. So that’s what I am planning to do. For the next month, I will be putting down my smartphone and traveling back to a time that was much simpler. To a time where the future is now, but a distant dream for billions of people in the past. The promise of a time where the Jetson would actually become the Johnsons and the Smiths and whatever your surname is. To a time where the freedom many of us sought to advance our lives has actually added an intoxicating cocktail of convenience and confusion. This isn’t the first time that I’ve had the desire to disconnect. I did it about eight or nine years ago. I got a prepaid phone with basic functions and found that I could function quite well. But that was also when tech was on the precipice of advancement. Now, our society is quickly catching up to the science fiction stories of the past. In the grand scheme of things, the time of more simplistic communication through devices was not that long ago. So, here I am. Here we all are. Living, breathing, sleeping, sexing, grieving, loving, hating and longing for technology. I have been toiling with transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle and I figured what better way to give it a go than to start off by ditching my smartphone. Here’s how all of this is going to work:
THE RULES
I don’t profess to know how I will handle disconnecting. To be honest, for me that’s the point. That's what will make this a challenge. I have had my fair share of struggles, but I don't anticipate disconnecting for my smartphone to be on my list of great struggles. I would like to think that my life is not that shallow and superficial. I believe that there is more substance to my ability to adapt and live without something that is profoundly invasive yet comforting at the same time. It’s bizarre how technology has created an amalgamation of the best and worst parts of ourselves and humanity as a whole. I’m ready. I’m actually excited about the challenge and I would love for all of you to join me on this journey. Please stay tuned through my blog and my podcast as this journey unfolds. Day one is coming soon! Are you ready? Let’s go.
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Good luck! My dog is at a sitter’s today, and i’m realizing just how much time it takes to care for her. She is chronically ill and handicapped. I’m having a glimpse of what life will be like without her, and it is so freeing. Do I feel guilty? A little. But I so look forward to having more time!
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