Back to our regularly scheduled program.

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I never went anywhere, yet I was gone.

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I wasn’t able to ‘like’, retweet, follow, friend, reblog, heart, pin, re-pin, tumble, vlog, press, instagram, comment, text or post for 30 days. Not that any of those things are bad, but did I live without them?  Yes, of course…

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What I did do:

• Read (a lot, currently working on three right now that will finish shortly)
• Baked (Bread, I don’t tan)
• Started commuting on my bike to work
• Wrote a Post Card a Day (the post office loves me)
• Wrote a few letters
• Had great one on one, face to face conversation(s).
• Called people back (Finally)
• Had a Man Night
• Played my Guitar
• Put my Couch in my Backyard and roasted Marshmallows
• Watched the night sky in Texas
• Held my 7-month-old nephew
• Focused.
• Dao ke Dao Fei Chang Dao

Without getting into the personal aspects of it all, the past 30 days were pretty rocky.  My time which was conventionally one way had been put on it’s head, and questioned.  I question myself still, as I find my phone in my pocket which now is a strange feeling after 30 days without.

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When the ambient hum of electricity went silent, what did I find?

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Clarity is the best word I could find to help explain the past month.  I felt a higher sense of clarity than I have in a long time.  It’s funny how when you turn everything ‘off’, you listen a little better and hear a little more.  Now with only a few days in, I find that the ‘noise’ is just leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

I find myself falling back into step with my thumbs clacking away and eyes down when they should be focusing on other things.  I’m still a product of my generation and “connected” through cables, wireless signals and profiles.  It’s a sad fact, but I see the positives and negatives of it all.

When I was with someone last month I was present there with them focused on their words, thoughts, mannerisms, eyes, and presently with that person in that moment; connecting on a level that isn’t accessible through wires, phone calls or retweets. From one dinner, to another conversation I wasn’t distracted thinking about what was going on somewhere else I was present.

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I’ve talked about this a bit in the past, but living in the present is something I think we tend to forget and live in the what will be or the what has been.  For 30 days I was as fully present as I have ever been in a long time, sure I made plans and remembered the past; BUT my weeks, day, hours, minutes, seconds and those moments between were something I’d forgotten.

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So,  if I took the time to write you a note, sit down for a meal, gush about a book I just read, talk about your life and tell you stories of my own let’s hope for my sake that I remember those moments between for future plans and past memories.

I would rather be connected to you personally rather than electronically.

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I look forward to next time we can find the moments between together, again.

Yes, ironic that this is a blog about no technology or social media.

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Technology is everywhere, but I’m specifically thinking about technology in computers, phones, and other devices. These devices connect us in ways we never thought would be possible. They also drive us apart.

This September I’m going on a “fast” from all this tech. A sabbatical or hiatus could even be better terms.

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Here’s the rules:

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I just uploaded some photos to my Flickr account. I finally found a way to make it work. Other posts coming soon, but here’s the link if you want to check them out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23292852@N07/sets/72157624193427814/

I’ll have some Qingdao photos coming up on Flickr soon too. Watch for a post about those.

-NL