As many of you know, when I went to Arizona at the end of last month to visit my parents for ten days, I made the (for me) momentous decision to take a cyber break. After daily blogging for five years, reading more and more blogs, trying to control my email, and surviving FB, I thought it might be quite difficult. I love blogging and I love visiting and commenting on other people’s blogs.
It was, however, quite simple and SO relaxing! My parents don’t have internet, so although I made the trip to their library any number of times, it was only for stacks of books to read when we weren’t doing anything else. I responded to the blog comments that came in and resisted the email clips of blog posts that sounded interesting. I got rid of email as fast as I could and you know what? It was so freeing. It felt as if I’d gone back in time to a simpler way of life, which I had. I didn’t even take as many photos as usual, partly due to the not-so-good weather and even pouring rain the first few days (very un-Arizona-like.)
It felt good to shed the guilty feeling of getting behind on blogs visits on the days that I work. Add that to not having all the things in a house that beg to be done at all times and it was brilliantly restful.
Remember when we went out of the house without a phone in our pockets/purses and never once felt that we might be missing something? Now, the few times I’ve forgotten my phone, I’ve almost had to force myself to keep going, assuring myself that nothing bad is going to happen if I’m out of touch for a bit. Ditching our landline some years ago gave a similar sense of unease, followed by the delight of not coming home to an answering machine filled with message to erase from people to whom I didn’t want to talk.
I love being back, talking with friends most of whom I’ve never met in person, enjoying the sights and words they share as well. But I highly, highly, highly recommend that you schedule at least one cyber break for yourself in this upcoming year. As the famous Alka Seltzer ad said, “Try it. You’ll like it.”
P.S. For those of you of a certain age, here’s a trip into the past, with 11 ads containing tag lines that have become catch phrases. Try them; you’ll like them.
This, that and the other thing 