Sometimes I Wonder

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I disconnected from social media and from satellite television. I have reached the point where the only television I watch, aside from local and national news, is programming that I have recorded. That way, I can fast forward through the endless, inane commercials. It also saves time. 

I stopped using my Twitter and Instagram accounts several years ago, and I don’t miss them in the least. And apparently nobody misses me either.

I wonder what life would be like if one day I stayed in my pajamas for the entire day. If I didn't take my dogs for their expected morning walk. If I didn't worry about cleaning the house, an endless chore in this dusty environment.

The only time I don't walk my dogs is if I am very sick, which almost never happens. Their daily walk and their meals are the highlights of their day, so I can’t disappoint them. If temperatures are too cold for me, I will wait a while and walk them later when it’s a bit warmer.

Some days the news -- whether it's endless coverage of the Covid pandemic in the US or the invasion of Ukraine by Russia -- is simply more than I can bear. I worked with the news media for many years as a public affairs specialist for the federal government and for a humane society in California. i like to stay informed, and I will admit to being a bit of a news junky. I listen to BBC news in my car when I’m running errands.in the morning, shortly after I get out of bed, and I listen to the news on NPR.

Now I turn my cell phone off in the evening every day. The same goes for my tablet, and my computer sits unused. 

I am old enough to remember life before instant everything -- news, messages, directions, you name it. While I appreciate being able to get information about directions or store opening times while away from my computer, I often feel there is too much information. I know, just because it's available doesn't mean I have to access it. And that's the point: I often don't access it until I need to. Whatever it is can wait. Just because I get an e-mail or a text message doesn't mandate that I have to read and act on it immediately. 

Sometimes when I’m traveling, I don’t have access to the Internet or the news, and after a couple of days of adjustment, I don’t miss it. In fact, I think stepping back from all the stress and pressure and instant everything is a healthy thing to do.

You might give it a try. It’s not as difficult as you might think.