Unplugged

by Debra Mae White on November 10, 2011

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I can no longer recall precisely when technology took over my life, only that every day, no matter what continent I am on, I check e-mail. My out of office response is set before vacation but I never truly abandon my Blackberry; I check in anyway. My in box follows me everywhere I go from sea to shining sea. Even during my hysterectomy I took my phone into my hospital bed, snuggled up and slept with it.

Last week I had outpatient surgery on my shoulder and gave myself permission to stay home and heal.  When I realized I had not seen or heard a single message for a solid day, I declared the occurrence a momentous milestone. Admittedly, I was unconscious for part of the time, but I noticed even when I could grab for the pesky device, I let it lay untouched. Instead, I lined up a movie marathon designed to evoke love and laughter, two of the best healing modalities the world has to offer. I watched My Cousin Vinnie, A Fish Called Wanda, Wedding Crashers and a slew more of my all time favorites. When I wasn’t laughing, I was sleeping. What a week it was!

I have come to refer to my shoulder repair as my “wake up call.” The call that let me know my life got away with me and it is time to come home to myself. The time has come to shift my attention from technology to taking care of me. Instead of sweating out life, I want to relish the sweet solace in living.

Here is my epiphany; I made myself a promise that the next time I need to unplug, I won’t need to be anesthetized first.

Savor the moment….

Debra Mae

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Shanee November 11, 2011 at 2:22 am

Well done Debra Mae! Love the post. I am sure I am on the verge of letting go of my iPad that spends far too many evenings attached to my lap as I waste countless hours checking emails, and following one link to the next of endless websites. Hopefully it won’t take surgery for disengagement to occur in my case… Hope you have recovered well.

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Debra Mae White November 11, 2011 at 9:19 am

Thanks Shanee. Good to hear from you!

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Susan Strickland November 11, 2011 at 7:43 am

Good post, Debra. And why is it such a disaster when we find ourselves unplugged? Our phones and internet were out last night, and we hardly knew what to do with ourselves. How could we have allowed technology to have such a hold over our lives?

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Debra Mae White November 11, 2011 at 9:22 am

I consider the phones and internet being out as a gift from the Universe…especially when it occurs on the eve of 11-11-11.There’s a message in there somewhere Susan…

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Devoni Wardlow November 12, 2011 at 7:30 pm

You took the words out of my brain, and wrote them so much more eloquently than I would have. I have THREE emails I check many times a day, plus all the other social stuff we do online, plus websites and blogs to keep up with. Yikes!!! And I wonder why I can’t seem to get other things done. And when the internet or my wireless network is down – we panic!! I’ve given up Facebook as a start. Here’s to cutting the chord….

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Debra Mae White November 12, 2011 at 9:55 pm

I second the motion Devoni!

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Amy November 12, 2011 at 10:20 pm

I’m sorry to hear about your surgery and hope you’re healing well, but congratulations on making such an important discovery. We are so overly dependent on technology not only for work but for connecting with others, entertainment, etc. It has taken over, and unplugging is a GOOD thing.

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Debra Mae White November 13, 2011 at 11:19 am

Thanks Amy. It seems unanimous… we all need to unplug more.

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