Confessions from my technology fast
by Jeri Cartwright
Utah CEO 9/2009
My summer staycation: Eight precious days with minimal technology. No computing, checking e-mail or using social media. I even taped a piece of paper over the blinking message light on my landline phone. It was my great experiment.
The day before embarking upon my staycation, I received sad, tragic news. A cousin, planting flowers in her garden, was killed when a speeding vehicle lost control and landed in her yard.
Mid-week, I learned that a friend’s teenage son had died. End of week, I decorated family graves. On the way to the cemeteries, I barely avoided a high-speed head-on crash with a vehicle coming at me in the wrong lane. My hand covered my pounding heart. I gasped for breath. These events were both sad and frightening, but I chose to consider them a gift. They made life feel more precious, and made me more determined to make my days off very meaningful.
I’ve returned from my staycation. Here are some observations:
As I write this, eyes on the glare of the screen, fingers relearning the keyboard, I have a sense of longing for the simple. I gaze through the window. A gloriously green world and light rain beckon. Yet here I sit, robbing myself of nature’s calm.
Don’t get me wrong — I love technology. But I hate what it has done to my moments of serenity.
Back to work.
Article originally appeared in Utah CEO.