If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. ~ from Walden, by Henry David Thoreau
I’ve been practically absent online for nearly a month now. Since moving, my husband and I haven’t turned Internet service on at our new home.
This wasn’t an intentional decision, but we’ve decided to hold off on cable and Internet…for a while. This isn’t the first time we’ve toyed with the idea of unplugging from modern conveniences.
While the choice of living without Internet and TV wasn’t intentional, living without them has made my time online much more intentional.
Each blog post, tweet, Facebook status and email sent and read has been subjected to a time limit. I no longer have the luxury of checking (and rechecking, and checking again) any of my online avenues.
Today, I’m writing this post at the public library, I walked here and will walk home. Next time I’m online, I could be at a friend or relative’s house, or use the free wi-fi at a local eatery. Because I’m at the mercy of somebody else’s Internet connection, I feel like I haven’t been the most valiant and consistent blogger or Internet buddy.
For the time being my posts and social networking updates will be sporadic, at best, but my hope is my down time away from the computer screen will enrich my thoughts and writing and result in concise (and hopefully richer) content.
Sometimes sacrifice is the best way to change our viewpoints. What have you given up (either temporarily or permanently) and how did it affect/enrich your life? I’d love to hear from you via the comments section below. 🙂
Amanda Bretz 
I will be doing volunteer work in Mexico this summer for a week. I’ll be giving up my smart phone and a few other conveniences while I’m gone. It should be pretty interesting!
I’ve done this sort of thing before, and am actually looking forward to not being so hindered by technology. 🙂
I gave up TV for my writing! I realized I would never have time to write, not like I wanted to, if I watched TV. Tough choice, but I don’t really miss it as much as I thought I would. Now I’m considering paring down the social media outlets I use –It’s a constant struggle to have enough time outside of work.
Good luck on your new streamlined life! I hope –at least until you get the internet up and running at home—that you find it refreshing to be “unplugged” for a while. 🙂