Unplugged

When I was younger, I used to spend every waking hour affixed to my computer. Time offline was torture that I endured by daydreaming about being online. Now, I’m perpetually online daydreaming about being unplugged.

Tech has ever been a present companion and boon to my life. I owe my career and way of life to the steady advancements in tech; I am grateful for it. That said, I also remember a time before tech had snaked its way into every aspect of our lives.

During the pandemic in 2020, our family joined the suddenly booming number of RV owners. Before this it wasn’t uncommon for me and my wife to travel and take one big trip a year. Now, with air travel becoming unpredictable and with Tucker getting older, we wanted to try traveling locally where Tucker could always be with us.

We live in Colorado, a beautiful state by anyone’s reckoning. While we regularly take advantage of the plentiful natural areas around us to hike and explore, the camper provides us a means to see parts of the state that we hadn’t visited before. Many of those trips takes us deep into the mountains where we are cutoff from that online world.

Something magical happens when I step outside and disconnect from our increasingly connected world. Time seems to slow down, my mind calms and my senses seem to be more engaged. Whatever was concerning me before I step into the forest melts into the background and I get to be present in the moment without pings and haptic feedback associated with constant notifications.

Sitting around a campfire is another sensory experience that is hard to replicate. The fire has a life unto itself and I’ve caught friends and family all entranced by its dancing flames. The glow of the fire on everyone’s features seems to enhance the laughter and has a way of drawing out the stories we’d thought we forgot. On a cold night, everyone huddles around the fire because the fire is warmth, the fire is life.

My wife would be quick to point out that what I’m describing is called shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. The idea is pretty simple, connecting with nature through our senses can have positive effects on our health and wellbeing. For me, for us, it is just the medicine we need.

There was a time when being online was a luxury. Now, the tables have turned and being disconnected has become the luxury. I’m really grateful that me and my family get to enjoy it so frequently.