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200 words, alarm clock, Blackberry, communication, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, humour, phone calls, Relationships, technology, texting, unplug, world issues
There are few times that I feel more at peace, more in tune, more Zen, if you will, than when I force myself to unplug. ~ Harlan Coben
Really?
I’m not so sure Harlan.
Because I keep reaching for it, but it’s not there.
I don’t know what time it is, having gotten rid of the clock several years back.
I don’t know how I’ll wake up on time to go to work tomorrow. I threw out my radio/alarm clock a few days ago.
What if someone needs to call me? I got rid of my landline a year ago.
What if I miss an important text? What if someone’s crushed because they think I’m ignoring them?
Those were my thoughts on Wednesday when I forgot my Blackberry at work. I noticed at home when I reached into that special compartment of my purse.
“No biggie,” I thought. “I’ll update my Facebook to let people know I forgot my phone. I’ll send an email to work, if I’m not there it’s because there’s no alarm to wake me.”
No biggie
Peace? In tune? Zen?
That’s not what I felt…
~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
Do you reach for it when it’s not there?
talktodiana 
LOL! I left my phone at work when I went to lunch the other day… and that was of course the day my boss called me! 🙂
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Murphy’s Law Rachel! ❤
Diana xo
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I’ve forgotten my phone a few times and I have to admit, after the initial panic I am strangely peaceful. It was very freeing to know there was nothing to be done but enjoy the silence. I think I should ‘forget’ my phone regularly. 🙂
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Ha! It’s different when I ‘forget’ it on purpose for me too Denise! ❤
Diana xo
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Oh Diana Im a bit of a shocker when it comes to checking my phone. I get in trouble because I don’t see messages until maybe a day later sometimes. I need it for the long travel into town though just in case I break down, so I do get anxious if I forget it.
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Good for you Kath, you have not been ensnared yet! ❤
Diana xo
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No body calls me unless they need something lol
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Yeah, it’s good to forget the phone then! 😉
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Diana, I think I’m the only person I know who doesn’t have a cellphone yet. I kinda like being out and about unplugged. Mind you, I could have used one when my vehicle broke down on a highway in the middle of a snowstorm… A kind lady stopped and used her Blackberry to call a tow truck for me. It’s only a matter of time, and I’ll be one of the pack.
When the power goes out I feel lost without my computer until I get busy doing something else. Then when the power returns, I resent the interruption. I’m slow to change.
Blessings & hugs ~ Wendy
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I suspect most people are slow to change Wendy, unless the change is their idea! ❤
Diana xo
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It is sometimes a blessing to forget the phone. I have done it several times and it was bliss, just knowing I can’t answer. (not that I get that much anyway) We should not be slaves to our phone and I keep saying to everyone who has the number that I cannot always answer. So patience please, it does not mean I don’t like them anymore. People are to quick to make assumptions. The other thing is my phone is my diary, so in that sense important. But any electronic items do not go in the bedroom and stay out at night.
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Sounds like you have a very balanced approach Ute. ❤
Diana xo
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I don’t have a cellphone. Have a landline.
If I had a cellphone that means I have to remember to bring it all over the place with me.
He has a cellphone and only has it when he leaves town.
But now we rely heavily on Skype. But with my family members we use phone, not all want to use Skype. I have one sister who is not on the Internet and same with my mother.
I’m at a peace a lot of the times. I can sit on the bus/ plane and stare peacefully into space/outside for several hrs.
I tried using an iPad in bus, etc. I ended with a neck pain. So I sit at a desk/table to use it.
My closest circle of friends aren’t trying to email/text me all the time.
What do I reach for and it’s not there? The people who I love and are no longer alive –my father, a sister (1 yr. younger than I).
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Oh love this comment Jean. So sorry for the loss of your father and sister. ❤
Diana xo
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I remember a time when all we had was a phone. A message recorder was beside that one phone we had; it was a pencil and pad. If someone you were trying to call was not home, you tried again later.
The only thing that modern communication technology has added to our lives is stress; by robbing from us the moments we once had to just sit still and calmly stare.
-Alan
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Yes I hear you on that Alan. Like anything else, technology can be a blessing or a curse. It does have some pros I think. ❤
Diana xo
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A couple of days ago I lost my smart phone. It later turned up, but for a while I was convinced it was gone for good.
Before I lost it I would’ve said that I don’t use it much. But the experience showed me that I’m very much connected to it. I use it as a watch, a phone, to receive messages, to dictate voice memos about things I need to remember, to look up info on the internet, to check the weather reports, etc. And I don’t even use “apps” and am generally electronic-ignorant. It’s easy to get hooked on devices like that.
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So true Bill. I know I didn’t realize how dependent I was on mine until I forgot it at work. Thanks for chiming in! ❤
Diana xo
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I think it’s pretty important to remember and feel what it was like before iPhones and hand-held technology- I just spent all weekend without my phone and it was pretty great. It is difficult, though, to do it during a work week when you may need it for something, but in the end it can be made simpler by putting limits on when we use them (ex: twice a day like brushing your teeth). Otherwise it can become pretty addicting and take away precious moments from our lives! But who knows- it’s just something I’m passionate about!
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Great idea Joy, somehow I think people would start brushing their teeth more though! ❤
Diana xo
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It’s a wonder how people in past generations managed to do anything without all the tech we rely on daily. I still have a little alarm clock (electric), and a land line, and of course a smart phone. Sometimes I think we’re really too connected 24/7.
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yes, me too, I’m going to try disconnecting completely first week of September while visiting my parents. Wish me luck! ❤
Diana xo
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Diana, I always vowed not to become one of “them.” But I admit to that sensation of mild panic when I forget to bring along my lifeline. Sorry, I meant to say “phone.” I do leave it in another room as often as I can while at home, though. Not sure how we survived without them for so long!
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We survived just fine. I think when landlines first came into homes, people felt that this also was bad as it allowed people to not have to meet face-to-face, they could just call… ❤
Diana xo
How did humans survive before phones? 😉
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so good.
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To be unplugged? Easier when it’s your own choice I think. ❤
Diana xo
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agreed 🙂
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I think the next step for us will likely be losing the landline. It’s being used less and less.
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Yes. I was getting a lot of sales calls and it was too expensive, so I got rid of it. 😀
Diana xo
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Just wrapping up a week of vacation. No work phone. No alarms. Just existing as I need to. Sigh. Turning on the alarm tonight….
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Yeah. See. When you have to do it, you don’t necessarily want to Colleen. Hope your time away was refreshing for you! ❤
Diana xo
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It was wonderful! 🙂 Thank you Diana !
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I have no alarm clock, I don’t use an alarm very often and on the rare morning I need one I use my phone, I can’t remember how life was before we had mobile phones
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Yeah, it’s hard to believe we got by back then LOL. ❤
Diana xo
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Love the question: what do you reach for when it isn’t there. I immediately thought of presence. I am thoroughly out of sorts when I lose my centre. The problem is … reaching for it doesn’t always work. In fact the opposite may be more effective!
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I’ve experienced that as well Ian…the whole go with the flow thing. ❤
Diana xo
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Mmmm can’t say I am happy when I forget my phone. Still, as rare as it is, what a wonderful opportunity to practice breathing and detachment to our appliances! I bet you survived without it Diana! It is amazing what we can do when we are forced to ha. Great post.
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Yes! I wanted to go back to work and get it but decided not to and to just deal with it Karen. ❤
Diana xo
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“That’s not what I felt…” That made me laugh out loud. As the old saying goes, “Been there done that.”
“Do you reach for it when it’s not there?” That is actually a profound question that covers many things. Yes, sadly I have, and all the desperate grasping for it in the world wouldn’t enable me to have it. It’s only when I let go and thought of other things that I was surprised by receiving what I’d needed all along, but often in a package or way that was quite different than I’d expected or thought I’d needed. Thank you for the thought-inducing post, Diana.
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Thank you Russ for sharing a wider application to that question! ❤
Diana xo
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Love this Russ! What an inspiring thought!
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It was insightful, wasn’t it Ian? ❤
Diana xo
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Unplugging by choice is SO much easier than losing the phone or losing internet connection when you are in the middle of something. I know I have a very strong emotional response when I am thrown out of control!
Makes me think of where our locus of control is. When we make a choice, it is internal and empowering. When something happens to us, it is external and can be dis empowering unless we change our mind set.
Time to review lesson “Go with the Flow 101” 😉
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yeah go with the flow 101 is usually my last choice Val LOL, but I do get there. ❤
Diana xo
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“Do you reach for it when it’s not there?”
No, I still don’t have an “it” to miss. I have a cell phone I carry when I go out because who can find a payphone anymore? But no one knows the cell number (including me — I always have to look it up); it’s just for emergencies.
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You’re so ‘old school’ Smitty – good for you! ❤
Diana xo
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What a kind way to say ‘old fart’ Lady Di! XD
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I would never say that. 😀
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I find Diana that as I’ve got older I’ve found it easier to unplug. But let me say my mobile always presents a real challenge. 🙂
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We can be so afraid that we’ll miss out on something, can’t we, Don?
As we get older, we get better at figuring out what’s most important and dumping all the stuff that doesn’t matter, I find anyway… ❤
Diana xo
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I really enjoy being plugged in! I just Skyped with my son in South Africa – we have a standing “date” every Sunday morning. So absolutely amazing!!
And, with my phone in my purse, I have, not just a phone, but a clock, messaging (which is very helpful as my daughter can see if I want to grocery shop; I can see if she can pick me up from the mall on her way home; the grandkids can message me to see if they can come over.)
I also have a camera ready to capture anything I like! I could go on, but staying connected helps me be a part of the world around me instead of being isolated from it. I think it is healthy and adds a lot of enjoyment to my day.
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Great perspective Janet! If it enhances your life, why not? If it rules your life or takes away from it in some way, well that’s another story, isn’t it? ❤
Diana xo
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ah modern technology and it’s pitfalls!
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I know Jensine! I remember going out and not giving a thought to whether someone might be trying to reach me, and this before the answering machine days even! ❤
Diana xo
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yes and commitment was the big fashion – no last minute texts changing plans and canceling
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So true!
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It really is something how much we rely on our devices! Sometimes I’m surprised there isn’t some holder like a tool belt people can wear to walk around with everything attached to their bodies! Seriously!
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oh Kelly shhhhhhhhhhhhh don’t say that so loud. Invent it and take credit first! ❤
Diana xo
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Ha! And you know if I looked hard enough there probably is something like that online somewhere!
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True enough, like the fanny pack? Man I hated the fanny pack…. 😉
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Yes! Time to resurrect it! But it would have to be larger to hold a laptop! lol
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I can unplug anytime. In fact, I did it last night when I went to bed.
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Amazing Don hahahaha
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I am well-known for forgetting my phone at home. C.C. will automatically call forward it to my landline at the office. 🙂 And then… drop it off for me. 🙂
My daughters will email me — Did you forget your phone today? 🙂
but yes, unplugging can be challenging!
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Yes it is, especially when it’s not my idea! You have a great family, love how they look after you. ❤
Diana xo
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p.s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uy0ldI_1HA
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haha indeed! Lovely piece Van!
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I can unplug pretty easily if I have to..and often do, Diana. But then, I pass by a Starbuck’s or Panera and wonder…do I wander in and catch up ? ☺ Since retirement, the clocks and calendars seem a bit irrelevant, and that’s a good thing ! 💕
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That is a good thing Van! I’ve unplugged quite comfortably and intentionally too in the past and been alright. Forgetting the phone though, although I did not lose my cool, I did have anxiety about it! ❤
Diana xo
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Clock and landline. Wow…I’ve just been thinking about it…
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You have? And what have you come up with David? ❤
Diana xo
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