Regular readers of this often-haphazard narrative will have already noticed a curious phenomenon. This blog is amazingly consistent. A post had appeared at least once per week since January 2021. But wait! Recently there was a lacune, a week with No News from Doug. What happened?
I got offline for a while, as I promised I would in “Disconnect.” I reset myself, at least temporarily.
As I previously explained, during the last few years I have undergone Connection Creep. When I reflect on my life 5 years ago, I never checked email on weekends. I had a smartphone but looked at it once or twice per day. I did not feel burdened by the Internet. Somehow, my relationship with the connected world became unbalanced. As my connection increased, so did my general anxiety level. I had trouble sleeping. Something needed to change.
An opportunity to do so arose a few weeks ago, during a discussion with my spouse, Jones. In early August 2021, he was enrolled in a 10 days course in southern Vermont. We had originally planned for him to drive himself up to New England while I remained at home. Six weeks ago, Jones suggested we revise this plan. Why didn’t I drive up to Vermont with him, drop him off, go hiking and camping for 10 days, and return to collect him when his course was completed?
I had done a lot of similar trips in other countries but never in the United States. It had been 15 years since I had set up a tent, cooked for myself, and slept on the ground. But why not? This idea was only slightly out of my comfort zone. I could make it work and it provided me the perfect opportunity for a reset.
On short notice, obtaining reservations at National Park campsites was challenging, but with some creative planning I made it work. After dropping Jones off in Vermont, I would head directly east to the coast of Maine. I would hike in Acadia National Park for a bit, then head to western Maine and New Hampshire to experience the White Mountains. After exhausting myself there, the mountains in northern Vermont would seem comparatively simple. Trip completed, I would collect Jones, and together we would drive 11 hours south to our home near Washington DC.
Amazingly, it all worked out. My days were beautifully simple. I woke up with the sun, made coffee and a simple breakfast, hiked for 6-7 hours, ate dried mangoes for lunch, searched for a mountain stream in which to rinse off the day’s sweat, dirt, sunscreen, and insect repellant, read old editions of The New Yorker for a couple of hours, made dinner as the light began to fade, crawled into my sleeping bag and read by flashlight for an hour, and fell asleep by 9 p.m. The following day was the same. The next one, too. Some days I had phone reception and could speak to Jones. Several days I saw and talked to no one. I took way too many selfies.
“Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hinderances to the elevation of mankind.”
The first two days I was somewhat anxious about not being connected. I felt like an addict, telling myself to take it one day at a time. By the third day I was enjoying my disconnection. During these ten days, I never read email or the news. At the end, as Jones and I were driving south towards home, I told him I wanted to stay disconnected forever. This simpler, disconnected life was, for me, a happy one.
Like most people returning from holidays, I want this rebalancing to continue. The calm and happiness I felt in New England has led to changes in my home life. Each night at 6 p.m. I plug in my phone, set it to Silent, and do not check it until the next day. When waking up in the morning, I do not check email until after breakfast. I am sleeping and feeling better, more balanced and less stressed.
Henry David Thoreau was, in popular legend, a cranky guy. He was a beautiful writer, though. “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hinderances to the elevation of mankind.” My trip proved that, once again, you were correct, Henry David.
