Digital breakdown

Claire Litton wrote earlier this week about traveling low-res as a genuine option to lugging all those i-products around. The timing was right on the heels of my recent digital breakdown.

I probably should have known better than to plan to do a few social media updates and minor editing tasks while I was spending a long weekend in St. Kitts. My cellular carrier assured me that I’d be able to get service on the island, and I brought along my iPad so I could take advantage of the Wi-Fi in the common areas of my hotel. It’s not like I planned to spend a lot of time online. With all that availability, I’d just be able to connect when I wanted to.

What happened? No cellular service. (It turns out that I could have changed that by manually reprogramming my phone, but I had no idea. Lesson learned.) And the reliable Wi-Fi in the hotel? Not reliable. I spent the first 24 hours worried that I’d miss something. But then, I calmed down and realized that it wasn’t the biggest deal and others would understand.

I’m not proud that I’ve allowed technology to get the better of me. But it’s taught me a lesson: Plug in only when it’s essential and it means a paycheck that you can’t do without. Even then, if you can plan in advance to avoid it, do so. Technology may be convenient, but real relaxation doesn’t need a thing.