One of my New Year Resolutions was to update my blog regularly. New Year Resolutions – which so often seem to be about giving up something – are of course soon abandoned. We now understand (because it was in the New York Times on Sunday) that people:………………
fail because they’ll eventually run out of willpower, which social scientists no longer regard as simply a metaphor.
From Boulder snow to.............
But no excuses – it’s not willpower which will prevent me for posting for the next couple of weeks – it’s technology (I think). I’m going to be away in India for 2 weeks from tomorrow and therefore experiencing life, not technology, in the raw (unplugged, I think is the current term).
What’s it like for you to be unplugged from your technology and gadgets?
Where do you find the quiet spaces in your life?
In preparation for the trip I’ve been reading novels about India:
I am an existential counsellor, journal therapist and writer. I grew up in England where I studied English Literature in Cambridge and later retrained as a therapist. I moved to Colorado in 2010 and now live and practice in the inspiring mountain setting above Boulder.
View all posts by Kate Thompson
7 thoughts on “Resolutions…..”
[…] of us will be finding that the New Year’s Resolutions are already a distant memory and the familiar pattern of commitment and resignation has kicked […]
Andrea
I can completely identify with this – there is nothing like a solitary walk in the country whether it’s the ancient beauty of the Peak District, the drama of the Rocky Mountains (2 places I’ve been fortunate to live in) or even a quiet patch of green. It seems to me to be a profound way to unplug and to get away from any human-made sight or sound is a rare and precious thing. There is also something about connecting with nature that creates different rhythms of thought and feeling.
Bliss, indeed.
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,(Wordsworth, The Prelude – greatest of all nature poems)
Kate,
I hope your willpower holds, I really enjoyed your post.
My own favorite way of unplugging is walking in the country side, no phone’s, just me, the fresh air and my own thoughts-Bliss!
Thanks once again for a great post
How do I unplug? A couple years ago I deactivated my Facebook account, even though I was an early and enthusiastic user. It was constantly beckoning me, on my phone, on my computer. Plus, I felt naked and exposed, and certainly distracted. In fact, I took off several apps from my phone at that time and tried to just keep the basics…not even email! (that didn’t last completely, but at least I don’t have ALL of my accounts on my phone…just personal, not work.). It is so disturbing to watch people in airports these days, all constantly on phones! I even saw someone in the back of a pickup truck yesterday, with full head gear/earphones, looking at the tiny black box of his mobile device. Of course, it’s my kids I worry about the most. Have I contributed to their destruction by providing laptops, phones and now ipads from an early age? BUT…I just need to focus on my own stuff, I guess. How can I de-clutter my life from technology, so that I can be more intentional each day? One day at a time, I guess.
Have a wonderful time in India…and BTW, I liked the White Tiger book. Have you seen that one?
Thank you , Jennifer.
I feel almost unplugged here but the opportunity exists to connect with intention from time to time even here!
Thanks for White Tiger suggestion.
Rohinton Mistry has been coming up in the Facebook comments from several people – thanks to those of you who comment there.
Therapeutic Journal Writing 
[…] of us will be finding that the New Year’s Resolutions are already a distant memory and the familiar pattern of commitment and resignation has kicked […]
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Andrea
I can completely identify with this – there is nothing like a solitary walk in the country whether it’s the ancient beauty of the Peak District, the drama of the Rocky Mountains (2 places I’ve been fortunate to live in) or even a quiet patch of green. It seems to me to be a profound way to unplug and to get away from any human-made sight or sound is a rare and precious thing. There is also something about connecting with nature that creates different rhythms of thought and feeling.
Bliss, indeed.
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,(Wordsworth, The Prelude – greatest of all nature poems)
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Kate,
I hope your willpower holds, I really enjoyed your post.
My own favorite way of unplugging is walking in the country side, no phone’s, just me, the fresh air and my own thoughts-Bliss!
Thanks once again for a great post
LikeLike
How do I unplug? A couple years ago I deactivated my Facebook account, even though I was an early and enthusiastic user. It was constantly beckoning me, on my phone, on my computer. Plus, I felt naked and exposed, and certainly distracted. In fact, I took off several apps from my phone at that time and tried to just keep the basics…not even email! (that didn’t last completely, but at least I don’t have ALL of my accounts on my phone…just personal, not work.). It is so disturbing to watch people in airports these days, all constantly on phones! I even saw someone in the back of a pickup truck yesterday, with full head gear/earphones, looking at the tiny black box of his mobile device. Of course, it’s my kids I worry about the most. Have I contributed to their destruction by providing laptops, phones and now ipads from an early age? BUT…I just need to focus on my own stuff, I guess. How can I de-clutter my life from technology, so that I can be more intentional each day? One day at a time, I guess.
Have a wonderful time in India…and BTW, I liked the White Tiger book. Have you seen that one?
Cheers!
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Thank you , Jennifer.
I feel almost unplugged here but the opportunity exists to connect with intention from time to time even here!
Thanks for White Tiger suggestion.
Rohinton Mistry has been coming up in the Facebook comments from several people – thanks to those of you who comment there.
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No doubt you will take your camera notebook and pen. Your next book might be a travelogue.
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you never know…….
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