For the past couple of days, I’ve taken a “technology vacation”. It wasn’t planned. It just sort of happened. When driving to work on Monday, I realized that the whole time I was driving, the cell phone “hands free” cord was connected to my ear. If felt like I was hooked to up an oxygen tank or an antibiotic drip at the hospital. It was definitely time for a break. So. . . on the way home, I removed the cord from my ear and drove the whole way home without putting it back in. To my surprise, I didn’t miss it.
Next, I decided to take a break from the computer. Like a lot of people, I constantly check my email, both school and home, to make sure that I don’t miss anything. It was time to give it a rest. I did have to use a computer to read two readings for tonight’s class that were posted on my professor’s website, but as soon as I could, I printed out the texts and shut down the computer.
Yesterday afternoon, I went to a friend’s house and hung out in the backyard – the actual backyard that inspired “Backyard Songs”. My friend and I sat on the back step, watched my son play with three of my friend’s four dogs, and talked about stuff – families, jobs, dreams – whatever came to mind in the serenity of the backyard. No cell phones, no computers, no televisions were out there. . . . no technology at all. Just a kid running around yard with a yellow lab, a golden retriever, and a yorkshire terrier while two old friends, who usually communicate via email, caught up in a rare face-to-face conversation. It was another world, a real vacation!
Unfortunately, my vacation is over because here I am using my computer to post to this blog, and I’ll probably have to use my cell phone on my way home from class tonight. But I’m starting to enjoy the time I spend away from technology, and I’m thinking that it might be a good idea to start building “no technology time” into my schedule on a regular basis. . . . . . vacations are great!
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