We just started our family vacation. Everything is delightful, we’re in a place we love, with friends nearby, lots of time to goof around.
And yet I’m anxious and agitated. I yelled at the Big Man. I stomped around.
Why? Because of limited internet and cell phone access.
Seneca wrote, “Prosperity fosters bad tempers” – and it’s really true. The “hedonic treadmill” describes our ability to adapt quickly to changed circumstances. We get accustomed to air-conditioning, color TV, penicillin, the ubiquity of Diet Coke, and internet access, and take these luxuries for granted. Take the luxuries away, however, and the bad temper sets in.
Also, there’s something particularly unnerving about not having constant email, internet, and phone access. It doesn’t feel merely inconvenient, it feels almost…scary. I feel cut off. But why this matters, I don’t know. If anything, I should be pleased to have the distractions shut off.
I refuse to let this issue put a cloud over our vacation. I’m setting aside one time each day when I’ll try to post to this blog and check my email. At that time, I’ll fuss about it. Other than that, I’m going to put it out of my mind.
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I was very pleased to be asked to join LifeRemix, a new network of blogs selected for being great writing about how to live a better life. I was already familiar with most of the blogs included, plus discovered some new ones. One of the things I enjoy most about blogging is getting a chance to connect with other bloggers, and it’s a lot of fun to be part of this group endeavor. (Turns out one of the founders lives in Lawrence, Kansas, so we have the whole Missouri/Kansas connection. It always surprises me what a kick I get from even an attenuated hometown connection.)
LifeRemix is launching today, so check it out.
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