A week without electronics.

Shortly after setting one of my 30 before 30 challenges to be without electronics for a week, I realized just how difficult that would be.  Mostly because that's almost entirely what I use for work--and what is a vacation if you can't check Facebook periodically?

Without even realizing it, the mission trip to Mexico proved the perfect timing.  I left my phone and my iPod at home (seriously, what would I actually need it for?) and spent the week riding in a bus and building houses.  Not a whole lot of opportunities for electronics. Or need.

The result: not too terrible.  Although it became a much more difficult challenge during the monotonous bus trips when it seemed like everyone else was fiddling with their own phone.  I didn't miss Facebook or Twitter.  I didn't miss the constant stream of information.  And I completely lost track of the days of the week/time altogether.  A sort of blissful experience.

This story wouldn't be complete if I didn't admit, however, that upon arriving home, I binged on everything electronic or internet.  Drained my iPhone in record time.  And over the following week, evened my usage back out.

Guess that's just how it goes in our culture.  To be completely out of the loop only works for so long.

**An interesting post by Ally Spotts today about how technology & electronics are hurting our relationships.  Funny how it coincides with my own post today.