Recently I had a conversation with a friend about that feeling of being “fried”. You know, when you’re beyond tired, worn out from life and needing a refreshment for the soul. The hard thing is the pace we live at doesn’t promote nourishment and replenishment. Instead it promotes instant gratification, constant communication and candy-crushing compulsions.
photo courtesy of sxc.hu @linusb4
Because this is something I struggle with continually, I have written about it several times before on the blog. Looking back, I’m somewhat shocked, and dismayed the struggles remain the same. I decided to reprint this 2-Part series. I hope you enjoy…and stay away from the little red lights.
Reprinted from July, 2009.
Last Thursday, I spent a night away in my own city.
When I checked in at the hotel, the front desk clerk asked me where I was from – I kinda chuckled and said, “I only live 20 minutes away.” He said, “You know, more and more people are staying closer to home to getaway these days and Hilton actually calls it a ‘staycation’!”
Well, I thought to myself, I think I’d actually call mine a “sanication” – as in I’d better get away or I might lose my sanity!
As my last blog indicated, I have been in quite a place as of late. So as part of my sojourn to find some inner peace and solace, I headed for the hotel and some time alone – without the cell phone, email and all contact with home and friends for over 24 hours.
It might seem like an easy task for some, but even I didn’t realize how dependent I had become on my little instantaneous jolts of techno caffeine always at my fingertips.
A little email here, a little texting there, a little phone call in between, and I had gotten myself completely hooked! Not only that, but people depend on reaching me virtually anytime – one way or the other. If I don’t respond to one of the many forms of communication, they think I have fallen off the planet (or perhaps are in some God-forsaken location that has no 3G!)
I planned to leave my iPhone home entirely, but wanted to use my maps feature to get to my hotel, and I needed my music! So I had it along, but I knew if I brought that screen to life with the touch of that magic black button it would be just too tempting. I could picture those little red numbers in my mind all lit up showing a new text, email or voicemail. Not to mention the fact that texts show up right on the main screen even if you aren’t searching them out!
I was sure I’d be sucked in by those beautiful shiny icons before I knew it. Whoa. This was going to be harder than I thought. So I just left it turned off. And I never even once played my darn music.
Okay, so by now, you understand that I truly have an iPhone illness, and you’re ready to commit me. But lay off, cuz I actually did manage to not use my phone for any purpose for over 24 hours! And I had a truly serene time: no music, no phone of any kind, no email and no computer. Just me, my journal, a pen, my book and my bible.
Oh, yeah, and God too. Funny how he shows up even when there is no little red number telling me he’s there.
(Part 1 of 2)
Have you become dependent on your Phone? How do you maintain balance between communication and chaos?