The gift of vacation is always a wonderful thing. Now that our children are beginning to go their separate ways, our time all together is even more precious. This year, as always, was a wonderful mix of reacquainting ourselves with old memories even as we created new memories.
Part of what makes this time “vacation” for me is leaving my computer at home. For almost three weeks, I did not access email, voicemail, Facebook, or Google. I was unplugged. When I put away the computer before leaving town, I had a brief moment of panic. What if something monumental happened, and I missed it? What about all of the everyday connections that occur through these mediums? How would I access needed information without Google?
Here’s is what happened: nothing. My almost-three-weeks of internet unconnectedness did not harm my life in any way. True, there was a time when we were all watching television together and wondered whatever happened to one of the stars. Without immediate access to the answer, we wondered a little longer than we would have otherwise, but we survived.
Here is something else that happened: I got bored. There was no internet to surf idly, no word games to play, no news stories to read besides the morning paper. It has been a long time since I was truly bored, and I discovered that I liked it. I started conversations with real humans. I picked up books and sat still long enough to read them. I went walking. I watched the clouds shift in the sky. I thought thoughts that had nothing to do with much of anything. Being bored occasionally is a good thing, I remembered. If we don’t create empty spaces every now and then, how will new things find their way into our lives?
I’m back now, and re-plugged. It’s good to be reconnecting with my world, my work, and my friends. I am thankful for the many important relationships that I have, and I am thankful for new ways that this era gives us to connect with one another. I am thankful, also, for the chance to drop off the grid every now and then.
