If there are any buzz words from this never ending age of ‘smart’ devices that gets gossiped about like the new kid in school, it is ‘disconnect’ and ‘connect.’ If you’re not embodying them, fighting between being one or the other, or have figured out a symbiotic relationship between the two, then you’ve lived in an underground bomb shelter in your backyard for too long. That’s a whole new level of disconnecting that can be blogged by someone other than me. Bomb shelters are certainly not my area of expertise.

Of course, technology + (dis)connectedness = not my professional wheelhouse either. That’s why my blog is about stories, adventures, and taking journeys. So, hop on this journey with me of creating a life with less noise, vibration, and perceived connection.

‘Smart’ devices are gateway drugs. Just like alcohol and smoking are to harder drugs like crack. Oh, funny thing about that. Spending time on social media (from your device) has the same effects as certain drugs on your brain. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great things about having technology at our finger tips, but the grip it has is suffocating at times. Really, it is quite insidious and genius all in one. All it takes is one ‘hit’ and we are hooked. In 2011, I swan dived into that quicksand like an Olympic champion with my first ever iPhone 4SE. It was just neat. I could take pictures and more pictures. Post them on social media. Play games. Check email. Text. The possibilities were endless. Well, maybe not. Year after year, the features, options and camera quality got better and better. More businesses were making apps to make life even more convenient, fast, ‘connected.’ I bought an iPad in 2012 and was officially sucked into the vortex.

No worries readers, I will not bore you with my ‘smart’ device purchases over the last 10 years to make my point. I’ll keep that between Amazon and me. My point is, I fell victim to following the wide road. I felt that I was connected to family and friends more by checking social media and immediately responding to texts and emails. I had all of the magic squares and rectangles that told me so. Smart phone and smart watch, iPad, laptop. Although, I did draw the line at using an AI virtual assistant in our home. Get up and turn on your own damn music.

I clued into the fallacy of connection over Christmas when I realized I didn’t actually speak (that is where words come out of a person’s mouth and are not typed onto a pint sized screen for all my live and die by texting friends) a lot with my parents and brother unless we were all physically together. It occurred to me I should be hearing their voices more. Their tone, their emotion, and the way a conversation flows that could never be captured in a text. Clicking ‘Like’ on a meme my mom shared on Facebook didn’t really count as being connected. It made no sense to allow technology to use us as pawns in this game of (Dis)connection. We decided to use technology to our advantage and a weekly FaceTime call was born. The road become a little more narrow then.

While in Alaska this summer, I realized I needed more disconnection to be truly connected. Alaska is such a remote and peaceful place. I could hear myself breathe and think. The air was so fresh that I wanted to collect some in a Mason jar to take home. It just wouldn’t have been the same though. The fresh air and the majestic horizon were meant to be together. Just like I was meant to be on this narrow, yet beautiful road. A few days into this amazing adventure in AK, I grew weary of flipping my left wrist over to see why it was vibrating. Facebook messages, updated sales from Harris Teeter, calendar reminders, keeping up with group texts. The list could go on and on. I was over it. I turned off every single notification. Take that Apple Watch, you overbearing piece of fruit.

I think the time spent in nature and just being still allowed this revolutionary revelation to surface in just the right season in my life. I now had 4,496 miles on my way home to figure out how to create a life where silence, stillness, mindfulness, and peace are the foundation of living. Not chaos, busyness, stress, and noise. I’m still figuring that out while also saying yes to new things and adventures and spending more time in nature. (*Apple Watch not included.*) I have figured out one thing, a $300 watch tells the same time as a $35 watch. However, there is one fundamental difference. One has the potential to steal your time while the other whispers ‘take your time hiking this mountain, the view is breathtaking.’