Sunday, July 8, 2012

Disconnecting to Recharge?

Traditionally in order to recharge a device one must connect it to power.  I find that I am obsessed with recharging now.  My iPhone is always above 40%, my iPad is constantly charged; any device that I have is charged and ready for any important 21st century emergency.  While I realize it may sound a bit excessive, I am fine with it because I find it vital to my professional life that I remain connected.  Additionally, the benefits of being connected for personal reasons are numerous.  But, my question is this:

How does one who is reliant upon recharging using a power cord recharge the professional battery?

The Answer: Disconnect.

I have to say that when I left for Canada this past Friday evening, I was still in full-charge mode.  I had my devices with me and charged for every occasion.  As we neared the campsite, I made peace with the fact that there was no WiFi and that I did not have an international data plan.  Basically, all I was getting was the occasional expensive call or text over the next week unless I headed into town (30 min. drive) to access WiFi at McDonalds.  Honestly, this was rather unsettling to start the trip, but I knew it would become a welcome respite by about day 2.

Sure enough, I was actually enjoying my time away from the connection.  I wasn't constantly checking email, Twitter, blogs, etc, etc. etc....  I was just enjoying being out by the lake, playing board and card games with my family, reading for pleasure, and just generally relaxing.  Now I can't lie to you, during our trip into town, I did stop by Micky D's and check a couple things, but not for long and I didn't make a special trip to do it.  But, I was confronted with a problem.  On about the 5th day of our trip we found out that one of the folks in the campground with whom we are friends had WiFi!!!  I quickly got the password and started to check things, but then I remembered the whole point of the trip: Relax, Recharge, Refresh!

So, I honestly did very little with the WiFi for the last couple days of the trip.

I remembered that this trip was about catching turtles and letting them go.



I remembered that this trip was about snapping a picture of a luna moth at night.


I remembered that this trip was about sleeping in a tent with the family.



I remembered that the best way to recharge is to unplug.  Now that I am back and will be going in to my office tomorrow, I am ready to think about the future and ready the school for the new year.  I look forward to all of the challenges that the months ahead will present!  Oh, by the way, all of the devices are charged again, too.

Feel free to comment if you are so inclined. 



8 comments:

  1. Bruce this is fantastic! I really enjoyed your perspective on disconnecting, and plan to learn from your experience, beginning next weekend!

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    1. Scott, I hope that your weekend is relaxing and that you get a chance to recharge. Enjoy!

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  2. Great reflection Bruce. So critical for us to remember to disconnect and recharge in this day and age when we are on 24/7. We need the physical & emotional recharge!

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    1. Tony, thanks for the comment. It seems like a simple thing, but I know that I take it for granted and I need to ensure that I do it for myself, my family, and my school.

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  3. Love the focus of the entry, Bruce! Thanks for taking the time to share.

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    1. David, thank you for the comment. You and I are about as connected as it gets, so I know that you understand the value of taking a break.

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  4. Great post Bruce! Great lesson for us all including our students! Tech is a fabulous resource/tool but as with everything else in life we need a healthy balance! It's good to just play and get dirty sometimes!

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  5. Dan, thanks for the comment. It is so difficult to strike that balance with all of the pressing things in our lives. I think when we do find the time to disconnect, we realize how much we actually need it. By the way, I enjoyed the playing and getting dirty part, too!

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