Arizona Postcard
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of going to The Boulders Resort and Spa in Arizona. The Boulders, a retreat surrounded by Boulders, cacti, bob cats and road runners, defines getting away from it all. Hard as it is for me to sit still, I barely left the property. I hiked, and took a balloon ride. Besides that, I plopped myself down on the lounge chair poolside. After all, the spa was gorgeous, just like an Arizona postcard. But, I felt anxious because my phone had died during the day and felt lost. First of all, It was the first time in a very long time that I considered myself addicted. To technology. And I hate it and complain about it but never actually unplug. I feel paralyzed without it. A cell phone can either be a problem or a benefit depending on how you look at it. It can provide a copious amount of information to keep you intellectually satisfied. Or staring into a gaping hole of instagram feeds and nothingness. I decided to empower myself by letting go of what holds me hostage. So there I was ready to take the plunge and I did just that.
Newsworthy information.
This feels especially relevant in the wake of all the digital corruption of humanity’s worst impulses that has happened this past fashion month. Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you heard about Kim Kardashian! The mess she got herself into the past fashion week in Paris by oversharing on her social accounts was a mess of its own making. I am guilty for promoting a different type of negative behavior, mindlessness, which stops mental growth. There have been studies that the human attention span has declined from 12 seconds to eight. Basically the attention span of a goldfish. My problem is shared by many others, technically not newsworthy, a challenge to overcome, yet worthy of attention.
Here is what happened in the desert and an Arizona postcard to tell the tale.
Declaring my intention for the week, I thought about my goals. Be present, less frantic, and choosing what I want to do in my free time. I wanted a reset. There is nothing new in the marketplace about restorative travel, from spa vacations to meditation retreats. But to make any changes, it would come from within. Mindfulness and focus.
Wearing Koral Workout top
Outdoor Voices pants
Nike sneakers, baseball cap
The result? I had a withdrawal. That evening, over a vegetarian dinner sans alcohol, my fingers gravitated towards my phone as the conversation went from the presidential debates to the SNL skit, to favored Instagram accounts. It was tough to let go. I climbed into bed and read my novel on Modern Lovers and tried to distract myself. I was off my phone for a total of 24 hours and during that time broke the urge to reach for the screen.
The device is a vice. If I couldn’t shake it is there hope? Will I be out of touch is I don’t check it constantly? Divorcing myself from my phone is so heartbreaking. Am I crazy?
