After Flow week
This post is part of The Quiet Lane series.
Flow Week is behind me. My first attempt at a personal retreat is over, and it was an interesting experience. I didn’t expect the difficulty in leaving ingrained routines behind for five days. It’s easy when you’re away somewhere, on a job or for leisure, when life is already disrupted, but doing this at home is confronting. There’s a certain adaptation period involved. The space which, at first, appears so freeing, quickly induces subtle waves of vertigo. But overall, the week was immensely productive—in a good way. Because, despite what I’d set out to do, it wasn’t so much about disconnecting in the end: this was truly more of a reconnection. Turns out, you really do see more of the world when you stop moving. The seven-week period is also perfect to assess progress, plan ahead, and re-align.
Now, about those analog days: I managed one, not two. But I don’t feel bad about it because I really did set aside the dopamine-inducing zones of my devices, and I did so for the entire week: I didn’t check the news or social media, I even left email to mostly accumulate in the background. I’ve never been the guy who can’t go three minutes without checking his phone—in fact, I’ve always rebelled against that compulsion—but it’s still a big part of any typical day. Because the phone’s there, always ready and within reach? Because it’s a window into anything and everything, and we’re expected to check in? I love the access these devices provide. I love staying in touch with friends scattered around the planet, chatting as if we were in a room together (almost). I love the promise of all of humanity’s knowledge, waiting for a flick of my finger. But there’s a hybrid choice that exists, it doesn’t need to be all or nothing. I can remain aware of limits and zones and priorities. I can remember to run those fingers through the dirt too.
In the Nowverse.
Spring is finally here, and the snow will soon be gone from these northern shores. Watson’s looking at me from the couch in my office and the sun is out. Time to get my boots dirty.
