Monday, July 18, 2011

Aloha From Hawaii (Pictures!). Blog Will Return Mon 8/8/11

Aloha Everyone. As some of you may know I am in Hawaii for the next few weeks (pictures in this blog are from my first few days). My brother dropped us off at the airport and about halfway through security I realized I had forgotten my phone. My amazing magical smartphone - the one I held off getting for years and upon finally succumbing fell instantly in love and wondered how civilized life could survive without one. 


But now I was without any phone at all. 


By the time I realized the phone had fallen out of my purse in my brothers car it was too late to get it. I've spent my first few days in Hawaii without a phone and it has been bliss. I have joked that I'm living Aloha 80's style as I've used a phone book, had to have meeting spots with people anytime I go somewhere by myself, and feel the need to buy postcards. I also haven't checked Facebook in days which feels weird and yet kind of wonderful.
Technology, no matter how much we try to resist it, pulls us from the present. Not having my phone has forced me to fully live in the present - and I can say there is probably no better place to do that than in Hawaii. Everywhere you look here is saturated with beauty. And I can't imagine anything on my phone to be better than this.
And yet the pull is heavy. My phone is being shipped just so I have it with me for safety purposes when I'm off by myself, but in so many ways I am happy to have left it. It forced me to see what life feels like without being constantly connected, and it felt incredibly and deeply satisfying. 


So I've resolved to take these next few weeks to truly disconnect in order to refuel, refresh, and re-engage with who I am apart from all that other stuff. I don't mean that in a big "find yourself" kind of way. I simply mean that I want to separate from all that pulls our attention in our increasingly ADD society and truly relax - unencumbered.
It is not an easy task. The pull is still there, and I know once my phone arrives it will take even more discipline to keep it off unless truly needed, leave it in the car when at the beach, and resist the temptation to click that e-mail or Facebook app and check in on everything and everyone.
I love the social opportunities technology presents, but I am constantly contemplating how to find the balance between social networking and social hiding. The balance between increased knowledge and information overload. The balance between meaningful connection and disconnect from the present. 
I'm not saying this is going to be easy, but I am going to do my best to fully immerse myself in this incredible experience without the pull of technology. I am going to soak it up and share with you all of the inspiration I gain when I return. 


Maholo for reading and I so look forward to connecting with you again when I return.
Pancake Sandwich. Legendary.
For more pictures as the trip progresses feel free to friend me at facebook.com/iadney. 

1 comment:

  1. Hi Isa! Hawaii looks beautiful! I went on a week vacation this summer to Destin and didn't check facebook the entire time. I loved being able to experience the present. I felt truly satisfied without checking it. As soon as I got home I couldn't resist the urge and fell back into the trap. I realized I just do it because I have a moment of boredom. I am trying to figure out how I can take that moment and do something more satisfying. :)

    ReplyDelete

What do you think?