I'm not sure what exactly I achieved this past week being offline but I'll see if I can gather my thoughts and share what I learnt:
1. You don't need television or the internet to know what's going on in the world. We have still managed to be exposed to the panic associated with swine flu just by mixing with other people. From our perspective it would seem that the panic surrounding swine flu has spread at a much greater rate than the flu itself. Yes there have been three confirmed cases in our country and even more suspected, but it also seems that the media have in no way allowed the truth to get in the way of a good story (we've had a local outbreak of another virus which at any ordinary time would have people worried but not now - in fact it's practically been overlooked);
2. Our house is certainly quieter without internet or the television. Although I was the only one who made a conscious decision to stay offline and DH the only who decided not to watch television, our decisions somehow filtered through to the rest of the family. This week the boys have been looking for books to read - even our youngest who usually confines his reading to the phone book. Definitely a big plus;
3. I don't have time for the internet. Even with not going online this past week I still didn't manage to get everything done that I wanted to get done in a day (I did work-out twice though which is a vast improvement on previous weeks);
4. I value the opinions of others too much. It's why I've deleted my list of followers. While I am ever so grateful for your trust in me in wanting to follow my blog on a regular basis, I've found that I was placing too much importance on that list and even comparing my tally with others. That is not good. So it's gone. I can't see it now;
5. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. I know what I should do - I just struggle to do it at times. I turned the computer off - but sadly I didn't always turn on to God;
6. My kids still can't talk. Even after a week of forced conversation at meal times, my kids still don't talk;
7. I'm more creative when I'm not spending time online. It could just be coincidence but I've written more in this past week than I would usually do. The ideas just seem to keep flowing;
8. Recipe books contain ... recipes. Yes they do! You don't have to go online to find a new recipe (although when you're looking for a yeast-free, sugar-free, wheat-free recipe for cornbread it does make it easier);
9. Ditto for other reference books. Concordances help you find that verse in the Bible you're looking for; dictionaries are great for looking up words; and I'm sure there are many more examples. If you've ever wondered what people did before the internet, well now you know: they turned to books;
10. I value my online friendships. Truly. I've missed so many of you this past week and have wondered what you've all been up to. It's good to be back!
1. You don't need television or the internet to know what's going on in the world. We have still managed to be exposed to the panic associated with swine flu just by mixing with other people. From our perspective it would seem that the panic surrounding swine flu has spread at a much greater rate than the flu itself. Yes there have been three confirmed cases in our country and even more suspected, but it also seems that the media have in no way allowed the truth to get in the way of a good story (we've had a local outbreak of another virus which at any ordinary time would have people worried but not now - in fact it's practically been overlooked);
2. Our house is certainly quieter without internet or the television. Although I was the only one who made a conscious decision to stay offline and DH the only who decided not to watch television, our decisions somehow filtered through to the rest of the family. This week the boys have been looking for books to read - even our youngest who usually confines his reading to the phone book. Definitely a big plus;
3. I don't have time for the internet. Even with not going online this past week I still didn't manage to get everything done that I wanted to get done in a day (I did work-out twice though which is a vast improvement on previous weeks);
4. I value the opinions of others too much. It's why I've deleted my list of followers. While I am ever so grateful for your trust in me in wanting to follow my blog on a regular basis, I've found that I was placing too much importance on that list and even comparing my tally with others. That is not good. So it's gone. I can't see it now;
5. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. I know what I should do - I just struggle to do it at times. I turned the computer off - but sadly I didn't always turn on to God;
6. My kids still can't talk. Even after a week of forced conversation at meal times, my kids still don't talk;
7. I'm more creative when I'm not spending time online. It could just be coincidence but I've written more in this past week than I would usually do. The ideas just seem to keep flowing;
8. Recipe books contain ... recipes. Yes they do! You don't have to go online to find a new recipe (although when you're looking for a yeast-free, sugar-free, wheat-free recipe for cornbread it does make it easier);
9. Ditto for other reference books. Concordances help you find that verse in the Bible you're looking for; dictionaries are great for looking up words; and I'm sure there are many more examples. If you've ever wondered what people did before the internet, well now you know: they turned to books;
10. I value my online friendships. Truly. I've missed so many of you this past week and have wondered what you've all been up to. It's good to be back!
Comments
I had my recipes already printed I think.
Good for you! Sometimes I miss the beginning when blogging was blogging - five backgrounds to choose from, one layout, no friends, no add-ons, no comments capability, and you just wrote and maybe dropped off an email to a blogger once in awhile.
What a profitable week you had. I might hand our son a phone book to give him an infusion of something other than Archie comics. :)