7.31.2012

Disconnected

In transition from moving from the North side to the West, I have been without the Internet at home for the past two and a half weeks.


Quite prehistoric, I know.

But it's actually been a bit of a blessing in disguise. Not for keeping up with my blog posts or working on any of the redesign that I'm trying to do on the site, but for making memories, finding inspiration and taking a break from the constantly connected world that we live in, no Internet has been a godsend.

This is what I've done instead of staring at my computer for hours on end...
  • Started learning how to play my guitar. I've been trying to dive into it all summer, but the lure of a TV show I missed or a blog post I needed to write always seemed to get in the way. Finally, I have started to make a dent and can play a pretty mean Ode to Joy... 
  • Stopped caring what people think so much. It's so easy to get caught up in your online persona--always making sure you have the deepest status update, wittiest tweet or coolest photo on Instagram. While my iPhone has still kept me pretty connected through social media, the lack of Internet has allowed me to take a step back and realize the people directly around me, in real, day-to-day life, are actually pretty darn good at offering "likes" without a computer screen in-between. 
  • Made an abundance of delicious, homemade meals. Funny when you stop spending hour after hour on Pinterest, you actutally have the time to make some of the recipes... 
  • Got to genuinely know an old and new friend. Last night, my friend Rissi who has been staying with me since my former roomie moved out looked at me and said, "I think I finally got to know Amanda Boleman." I looked at her a little quizzically as we've known each other for 4 years, but then it dawned on me that without all sorts of technology getting in the way, we really had time to sit down and actually talk. We didn't talk about what the latest hot celebrity just tweeted or share funny videos on YouTube--we simply sat and spoke about our lives day in and day out without the option of the Internet or TV dragging us in and zoning us out. Even when we had the choice to stay over at her friend (and now mine!) Josh's place with working Internet (okay, admittedly we did that ONCE after an evening of playing guitar and cooking dinner at mine), Josh would usually come over and join our no-Internet/Cable party instead and now I have an awesome new friend to show for it. 
Now, Candice and I are settling into our great new place and will have working Internet again by the end of the week. I'm excited to have technology back for the sake of getting the little things done, but I won't forget what these last couple of weeks have taught me and encourage everyone to disconnect for at least an evening each week.

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2 comments:

  1. Love it. More people need to figure this out.

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  2. So excited to finally make my move! See you Saturday lovely :) great post.

    ReplyDelete