Desperately Seeking Solitude?

Every weekday morning I can, I start the day with a cup of coffee and the morning news program. This morning my dear husband brought me the coffee and I tuned into the Today Show just in time to listen to a young, hip woman from one of the travel magazines discuss the latest craze in yuppie travel-- Solitude Resorts. She had a list of places located around the globe that catered to the young and hip metrosexuals of the world who are overworked and overstimulated by the ever-increasing electronic forms of communication available. One of these places was in Kenya and cost $700 per night!!

In my own work life I was surrounded by people addicted to their Blackberries, then iPhones, then iPads, etc. I remember vividly attending quarterly leadership meetings of the large healthcare organization I worked for where there were upwards of 600 health care department heads and other leaders sitting in a big ballroom. When the break time came, almost all of them pulled out the Blackberry and started checking emails, sending messages, and making phone calls. I did not. I had a pager and my staff knew how to use it. I had a cell phone turned off I could turn on if I needed to. I used the break time for... a break! And boy, did I get looks as I sat there doodling or sipping coffee.  And I must admit, I felt somehow inadequate at times because I wasn't so connected.

It occurred to me this morning as I watched in disbelief at the descriptions (and cost!) of these Solitude resorts that we have reached the limit of human endurance when it comes to instant accessibility. Cell phone reception has improved to the point where we are available by cell phone virtually everywhere. Hunters carry them, people hiking in the wilderness carry them. And in many cases having them has saved a life.  That's the upside. But how many of us have witnessed cell phones ringing in restaurants or seen people driving like idiots while on the cell phone? Just because we have them doesn't mean we must use them all the time.

Let me repeat that:  Just because we have these devices does not mean we must use them all the time. When we do that, they end up using us... and using us up.  To the point where we must pay $700 per night to stay in a place that forces us to turn them off.  Am I the only one who finds this just... silly??

I am very fortunate to live out in the country. Our three acres provide a wonderful escape from the rest of the world. We have a small deck on the back of our house that looks out over the woods and the creek, and I have spent many happy hours sitting there sipping a cool (or warm-- depends on the weather!) drink or watching a storm come through or admiring a rainbow after the storm has passed. I have sat quietly and watched a doe and her two fawn graze on our lawn, seen a coyote basking in the sun, or admired a new bird that I add to my life list. We hear owls and woodpeckers and ducks all the time... it's wonderful. I wonder how much of it I would have missed had I been on my cell phone.

Not everyone lives in the country. But that doesn't mean some solitude once in awhile is impossible. It is so easy to just turn off the cell phone! And there is a big, beautiful world out there waiting for us to admire... It is winter. Hopefully it will snow soon. When it does, I challenge you all to turn off the cell phone, step outside and listen to the quiet a good snowfall brings... Even in the city a good snowfall mutes the sounds of traffic, forces us to slow down. Instead of fighting it, turn off the cell phone and enjoy it for a few minutes.

Peace to you all on this gray, still, cold winter morning!

View of our creek after a snowfall...