Thanks to a link at Kim's site for this wonderful article called The End of Solitude. Well-worth the time it takes to read it. Better yet---read it twice, no skimming.
This hits me where I live and one of the issues for me is the cell phone. I've realized that while our house phone (which has been disconnected) had caller ID, I also have it on my cell phone when I log in the names/numbers. But loading them is key. Otherwise, I'm still in bondage to answering anonymous phone calls, which in turn make me nervous. Don't make me nervous.
So, this weekend I've turned off my cell phone. I figure if my mom or anyone else in the family needs me, they know to dial one of the kids or my husband. Yes, there are 5 phones in this house. Man. Yes, a security when the kids are out and about on their own, and thankfully our kids aren't very social. As a result, the phones have been a blessing and not a burden.
The thing about the cell is that it seems I have trouble NOT answering it because folks know that you have it with you, and that if you're not picking it up---either you're on another line (and will, of course, check to see what calls you've missed, or maybe you just don't pick it up). If you're talking about a land line, many times when you don't pick up---you're not at home. That luxury isn't used with cells. You have phone...you answer. Period.
Nuts.
It's like bondage. You're seemingly accountable to someone, even folks you don't want to have contact with, whether you want it or not. Like the article says---there IS no alone time. Even recently the senior pastor at the church we attend said that he thought folks at church, his church, got uncomfortable when they encouraged a quiet prayer time during the services. What? I'd love it if they didn't seem driven to fill each moment with activity---either music or talk, prayer by a person at the front, or announcements. There is absolutely no quiet at the services. It makes you wonder, but in the case of the article, it makes more sense to me.
Our oldest daughter got overwhelmed recently by being sick and feeling too available to her friends. She turned off her cell phone and didn't use her laptop for the weekend. That might sound easy to accomplish, and she did fine---didn't miss them---but we're so used to packing it in and don't even know how to cope without all of our busyness. We're addicted to it. And are so full of self-importance, that to be unavailable doesn't seem to fit into the scheme of things. I want to print out that article and paste it around the house. To memorize it and keep it near my heart. Good stuff.
This hits me where I live and one of the issues for me is the cell phone. I've realized that while our house phone (which has been disconnected) had caller ID, I also have it on my cell phone when I log in the names/numbers. But loading them is key. Otherwise, I'm still in bondage to answering anonymous phone calls, which in turn make me nervous. Don't make me nervous.
So, this weekend I've turned off my cell phone. I figure if my mom or anyone else in the family needs me, they know to dial one of the kids or my husband. Yes, there are 5 phones in this house. Man. Yes, a security when the kids are out and about on their own, and thankfully our kids aren't very social. As a result, the phones have been a blessing and not a burden.
The thing about the cell is that it seems I have trouble NOT answering it because folks know that you have it with you, and that if you're not picking it up---either you're on another line (and will, of course, check to see what calls you've missed, or maybe you just don't pick it up). If you're talking about a land line, many times when you don't pick up---you're not at home. That luxury isn't used with cells. You have phone...you answer. Period.
Nuts.
It's like bondage. You're seemingly accountable to someone, even folks you don't want to have contact with, whether you want it or not. Like the article says---there IS no alone time. Even recently the senior pastor at the church we attend said that he thought folks at church, his church, got uncomfortable when they encouraged a quiet prayer time during the services. What? I'd love it if they didn't seem driven to fill each moment with activity---either music or talk, prayer by a person at the front, or announcements. There is absolutely no quiet at the services. It makes you wonder, but in the case of the article, it makes more sense to me.
Our oldest daughter got overwhelmed recently by being sick and feeling too available to her friends. She turned off her cell phone and didn't use her laptop for the weekend. That might sound easy to accomplish, and she did fine---didn't miss them---but we're so used to packing it in and don't even know how to cope without all of our busyness. We're addicted to it. And are so full of self-importance, that to be unavailable doesn't seem to fit into the scheme of things. I want to print out that article and paste it around the house. To memorize it and keep it near my heart. Good stuff.
