Did You Ever Wonder...

What it would be like to not exist online?

Those of us older than 40 will know exactly what it’s like to exist in a world without internet and without an online presence. Because, we grew up without it and managed to thrive anyway. And at the risk of sounding like that old person, those were some damn good days in my opinion. Let me explain…

Back before the birth of the internet people used to spend time with one another and have full conversations, without having to check their phone to make sure the image they posted on {inset social media platform} did well. We were simply more present with one another. We didn’t get distracted by the things happening on our phones, because hello, all you did on your phone was make calls and eventually send texts. We got out and about more and did more things together, because we weren’t tethered to technology.

Now days, you’d be hard pressed to find yourself in a conversation with a friend while having coffee or lunch, without them checking their phone a dozen times, making you feel as if you could be talking to the wall with better results. We are so tuned in 24/7 that we no longer know how to put the screens away and enjoy the company of another person, and I think that is such a shame. Now we have to be doing something exciting and posting about it constantly. When did our lives go from private to sharing everything with everyone all the time? It’s exhausting!

It’s that exhaustion and quite frankly my need for privacy and some peace & quiet for my mind that have had me on a journey to reduce my online presence, and maybe someday eliminate it altogether. Who knows. And thus far, I’ve eliminated a lot, but there’s still so much more to go. I have also added some here and there, which is obviously counter productive to this pursuit. I know I know. Baby steps.

But I think to myself sometimes, why is keeping or getting rid of Instagram a HUGE decision in today’s world? Why is so much importance placed on these platforms? Why does this take up so much brain space? It’s just an app. An app that exploits you and your personal information. But, we gave all that information away freely the minute we signed into the app. We let ourselves get sucked into that world and get addicted. Spending too much precious time and energy on them, all to help make someone else rich. We do so because we are told that to be relevant we have to be on said app. It’s a load of crap! We’ve been bamboozled! We can say no.

As much as I enjoy sharing my writing & images with people, the more time that goes by, the less I want to do it. For varied reasons, but mostly I’m exhausted by it all. My brain is saying, enough! I just want to switch off and tune into myself, my family, my friends, etc. I don’t want to check in with all my apps multiple times a day. I don’t want to feel as if I have to write so that I have something for the blog each Monday. I don’t want to feel as if I have to go out and take photos so I have something new to post to my apps. That is certainly not the way in which I want to be intentional with my creativity. You know?

So anyway, If my blog posts go from every Monday to every other, or even once a month, or quarterly, you’ll know why. You’ll know the logical side of my brain has finally won the war against the sheep-ish side of my brain, and I’m switching off, tuning out, unplugging, whatever you want to call it. And if you happen upon my Instagram, VERO, or Twitter someday and they no linger exist, you can assume the same. Because at some point, I’m going to stop talking about it, and I am going to actually take back my life.

And yeah, this doesn’t feel very lighthearted, so here’s a photo to cheer you up!

Until next time… be loving, be kind, be better!