Pulling up roots

Yesterday I posted a message on my personal facebook page.  It went something like this:

News Flash:   Well, it’s finally happened;  my butt has actually taken root into my computer chair!

Well……maybe not quite, but it sure seems that way.  You see, just lately I’ve begun to notice that the internet, facebook, email and all those other computer technologies have begun to take up much too large a portion of my time.

It all began slowly and innocently enough:   a quick check of my email first thing in the morning…a few minutes looking at all the interesting posts on facebook…an online check for the meaning of a word…and all those innumerable small computer moments that are so useful and/or interesting.

However, one thing led to another, until nowadays I invariably find myself following link after link as though I’m on a continuing treasure hunt, or running back to the computer every few minutes to find out more about something that has come to mind, endlessly fascinated by all the amazing things to be discovered out there on the World Wide Web.

And slowly but surely, the amount of time I spend each day in this fascinating world has just kept creeping up and up, until I realized a week or so ago that I simply must take a little break from it all before I really do take root in front of my computer screen!

So for the time being, I’m stepping back in order to make room for some of the many other things I love to do; and since there are only a finite number of hours in each day, prioritizing is going to become the new plan.

I’ll be peeking now and then, of course. But if I find myself getting caught up again, then it’ll have to be nothing less than cold turkey for me.

Addictive personality?   Ya think?

So here I am.  And what this will mean as far as Susannah’s Journey (the blog)  is concerned, I’m not sure yet.   I think it will remain – and hopefully improve – but there’s no way of knowing yet.  That’s the thing about taking a step in a new direction:  the scenery changes, and it takes awhile to become familiar with the new route.

But I do know that it’s more than time to take that step:   a little tweaking to reduce the WWW  to a smaller footprint that fits my lifestyle (not the other way around); more time to read, and think, and knit, and draw and paint, and go to art shows, and get out there in the big world – and who knows, maybe to even get some spring housecleaning done!  [Well….on second thought, maybe not that big a step….after all, I’m just trying to change a little, not become perfect! :-)]

See, the thing is this:  I’m an extreme introvert.  No, I’m not shy at all; and yes, I like people, a lot.  What I am is introverted.  And what that means is that I actually need a fair amount of solitude; I need to be alone in order to reflect, regroup, and re-energize.

So, speaking as an introverted person whose favourite activities are nearly all solitary, it’s very easy for me to get sucked into the addictive side of web-surfing.  In fact, without too much thought, I can find ways to rationalize setting aside any number of other activities in order to do it.

I totally agree that technology is a wonderful thing.   But it’s not an unmixed blessing; it can easily become addictive.  (Next time you’re on the street or in a store, just look around at the number of people who are either talking or texting on their cell phones as they go about their business.)

For myself, I know that from time to time I have to jump off the bandwagon and rest by the side of the information highway for awhile.  This is one of those times.

Namaste,
Susannah