When did life get so complex? When was the last time you didn’t start the day checking your inbox, tweeting and facebooking your status, or flipping on the news while rocking out to your ipod on the way out the door?
Just yesterday I received a tweet from a “friendly” follower who actually demanded information about how my family vacation in Hawaii was unraveling. Now I have no problem sharing what is going on in my life, but I have the right to chose what I do and don’t want shared. The follower was basically reprimanding me for not updating often enough. Why did this irritate me so much? Not because of his attitude, but because of how hyper connected he was while expecting the same from others. While I was out living my life, soaking up the green of Kauai with family I haven’t seen in six months, this guy was impatiently waiting for some type of synopsis every minute.
The internet sucks your life away. I realize this is hypocritical from my standpoint as a blogger and sponge for knowledge, but real life exists outside the computer and disconnecting is necessary. The internet flows at mind bending speeds. It’s an all or nothing game, at least for bloggers. You jump in knowing you have to hit the ground running. I am sure even regular web surfers feel if you don’t update or stay in touch you’ll loose the small toe hold you have on the mountains of information and communicating going on 24/7 around the globe.
Yesterday as I drove and hiked around the North shore of Kauai (literally like stepping back in time and into Jurassic park) I was hit with the same tranquility I felt at various points around Australia. The simple life. Where everyday begins and ends with a dip in the ocean or other outdoorsy activities. Time with friends and family is an everyday must have and material possessions hold little to no value. Living within your means or even off the land is accepted and respected. Weaving a life with nature versus against it. Farmers markets, fruit and home made baked goods stands dot the winding roads. Just writing about such places puts a smile on my face.
A year ago I couldn’t have imagined living such a simple life. What would I do with my day if wifi wasn’t blanketing my environment, if I wasn’t plugged into the information highway, if the outdoors was all I had to entertain myself, if shopping and consuming wasn’t an option, if I didn’t have a city full of things to do and see? I would learn to appreciate every moment. I’d learn to communicate in person. I’d learn to listen. I’d learn to create. I’d learn to discover. I’d learn to be still. I’d learn to quiet my drowning thoughts.
Today I yearn for a mix of both. The connected with the detached, the stress with the calm, the complex with the simple. While I sometimes want the push, drive and energy of a city, I equally adore a wash of a slow, simple existence. Balance, pure and simple. I enjoy having a crap phone that I hardly remember to check, an infrequent wifi connecting that forces me to create from what surrounds me, a day full of activity, breathing, moving and playing.
Your Challenge Today: flash back to a time when you lived a simple life. Before you were hyper connected, before you cared about having the flashy car, the millions of beauty products, the designer house. If you can, take a day out of your week to relive that experience. Unplug, call and meet up with friends, take long walks, play outside, paint, write, create, and calm. Or do what I do and go see and experience a simple place. Let the environment soak into your bones and wash away your stress.
When was the last time you unplugged?
