A major source of contention in my marriage is my "pluggedness." I use the internet to keep me company when my husband travels, connect and nourish friendships with people, write, and research things that are important to me.Appa would prefer I did less of all that during our limited time together. Usually he has a point, and although he might not think so, I have been trying to be less plugged in when he is home.
This vacation I decided to try to unplug. Besides the occasional e-mail checking (I'm actually still waiting for an formal update on Little Bro--how greedy am I?), and one blog post that I had to get off my chest, I've been almost completely unplugged for 5 days.
And it was great....magical, even.
Appa and I fell asleep when our son did most nights. We watched fireworks from our hotel room and sports news. We chatted. We didn't read or get on the computer or do anything other than just stare at each other and laugh at our crazy child.
It was easy to get caught up in the family moments. Work and Facebook and blogs and e-mail (I had exactly 200 this morning when I checked) just didn't seem to hold a candle to spending time with my boys.
As happy as I am to be connected again, there is a part of me that wishes I could stay back behind those colorful gates that seem to keep the "real world" at bay while simultaneously reminding you what is truly, truly real in your life.
One of my favorite parts of our beach vacations is that there is no internet. We have no choice but to be unplugged and I love it. It surely helps me be more present with my boys.
ReplyDeleteBut it is always nice to come back and reconnect.
So glad you had a magical vacation...and glad you're back!
Ah, this post hits home. When I take the time to stay off the computer and focus on my family it's wonderful. Jason has always wanted me spend less time online and I've been doing that. I have to admit though, it's always nice to jump back online to see what my friends are up to.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear more about your trip. Hopefully there were no more poop filled events!
I adore computer breaks. They never seem to happen unless I'm on vacation, though. It's weird--day to day, I'm so glad to have the Internet and spend a lot of time on it. When I'm on vacation, I'm glad to NOT be on it. It's a great feeling--I think because it's part of having a total break from everyday life (no washing dishes, walking the dog, or keeping up with email).
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had such a great trip. :)
It is really nice to take a break from all-things-computer every once in awhile and just be present in the moment.
ReplyDeleteExcluding the poop incident, it sounds like your vacation was indeed magical. can't wait to hear more about it.
Ahh...I totally hear you...I just came back from a 2 day conference and didn't have access to internet. It was oddly frustrating yet very freeing at the same time. Makes me wonder sometimes if life would be simpler if I just sign off FB for good, close down my blog, and only have 1 email account...but then again...gotta keep up with the times. =)
ReplyDeleteWe went unplugged for Valentine's Day weekend this year and it was (a) hard, but (b) so worth it. It was amazing how much more we TALKED to each other and perhaps more importantly LISTENED :) But I am addicted, I admit it.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing when you don't have access to internet, how used to it you get? Sometimes it's nice to be able to focus on each other. Sounds like you really made the most of it! I for one, am glad you're back.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great family vacation!!! This morning I decided to step back into the online world after a long break. The problem is I'm a little overwhelmed by how far behind I am!
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to go unplugged for a few days, especially on vacation. (We missed you, though!) I'm excited to hear more about your magical trip!
ReplyDeleteOh man... yeah. We have the same issue here, but we are *both* at fault. I'm actually better about it than my other half is... if you can believe it! We've deemed meal time as "tech free time" ... sad, but true. (Sad that we actually had to do it in the first place)
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