This past month has been an interesting one. Not only because I have my own little church to look after for the summer, but I’ve done it wire-lessly – as in unconnected… without cables – without the internet at home – which is also my office! It has been in my mind a month long retreat from being in constant connection. I have been in contact, I have used the internet and my email… and yes, even MSN, but I haven’t left it running in the background of my life. I haven’t let it take over much of my unscheduled time.
I’ve had mixed reaction to this I have to say. I discovered just how much I’ve grown to rely on that little “bing” someone is online, or I’ve received another message, even if it is just Amazon telling me about specials on their books or Yves Rocher telling me of their latest sale on soapy scented things. But what it has allowed me to do is use my time better. To feel like I can relax. To get some reading that I’ve wanted to do for so long, but the last year of seminary just wasn’t conducive to doing it! And just generally try to find my feet. At first, I felt lost, I felt like I was away from all my social network, away from friends and family and it was pretty lonely. At the end of the month, I can look back and say that I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I untangled my mind and spirit from all those wires and ties upon my time, for I’ve been able to do some pretty cool things with time that I would have otherwise simply lost.
Now, my internet is up and running again. The month long experiment is over. I wonder if I can keep up with what I’ve learned – perhaps I’ll have to make it an annual wire-less week. But I hope not – sitting in my car outside a closed wireless café fighting off mosquitoes and confusing police officers as to what my intentions were, grew pretty old!
