My husband kind of chuckled when he saw the title of my last blog post – “Semi-unplugged” – when it came across his email (yes he subscribes to RWA!)
“What?!” I replied. “This is unplugged for us” …kinda 🙂 This as each of my sons sat reading from their respective tablets (a Nook and a Kindle Fire) and I played music from my iPad. OK so this may not have been everyone’s definition of “unplugged” – I guess I was thinking more in terms of being a little less connected from a work perspective. My husband J had largely ignored his office email and left his laptop closed (yes he did bring it with him) – and for me, I had answered just one work-related email. THAT to me is being unplugged!
I guess technology plays such an integral part of our family life that I don’t really even think about it much. It just makes my life easier – whether it’s loading up the tablets with books & magazines so reading material is always readily available; or texting my husband one more item while he’s at the grocery store. Seriously, what did we do before smartphones?!
Technology & social media also make my life easier by keeping me well-connected with both family and friends. As we hung out with extended family last week it was funny how up-to-date we all were on each other’s happenings – thanks in large part to Facebook. And thanks to Instagram, FB and texts, I could see some highlights of my brother’s Carribean cruise and share pictures of my boys sailing all while lounging on edge of the dock. And, of course, social media has played a very large role in my life as a runner virtually connecting me with an amazingly supportive community – a few of which I’ve been lucky enough to meet in person!
Now that we’re home I have been busy our family’s color-coded Google calendar with the boys’ fall sports schedules and school events – you want to see me lose it, just try messing with my calendar! I could go on and on …but you see my point. While a change of pace can really help you to feel refreshed and recharged, technology has become so interwoven into my daily life that “semi-unplugged” is about as disconnected as I’ll ever be!
How about you – do you ever truly unplug?
What’s the one element of technology/social media you can’t live without?
