What you gain when you lose your phone.
I lost my phone Thanksgiving week (see photo) which was idiotic, annoying, and decidedly a "first world" problem. What it wasn't was completely awful. In fact, after the first several hours of not reaching for my device, I felt like I was focusing better.
I looked out the car window at California passing by. I gazed at the colors in the sky and listened to Adele sing "Hello" another twenty times (still not old). I noticed when everyone else had something to stare at, and I was singularly alone.
There was the usual freedom from checking email, tweeting, texting, instagramming, and playing mahjong (my game drug of choice), but I also went hours without researching facts.
When I was wracking my brain about lyrics from a song, the words remained unknown.
What was the name of the actor who starred in that movie? Where was that place we ate that time we took that trip? What year did Hawaii become a state? How many miles between Paso Robles and Cambria?
These and a thousand other tidbits remained unknown. Just like in the old days.
And, believe it or not, I survived.
I don't know when I became addicted to Google, but sometimes "not knowing" isn't only acceptable, it's preferable! I wonder if I can make a habit of staying unplugged without, of course, the aid of a roller coaster.
Do you ever really unplug? For how long? What's your approach?