Off grid

Off Grid Almost

Over a year ago my husband and I decided to have an off grid day...no Facebook, social media, email or news.

We discovered those days were happier, calmer. We accomplished things put off, not always fun things, like cleaning closets, but the feeling of accomplishment exceeded the dislike of the chore. And there were the positive: More reading, a long walk on the beach, more writing.

Somehow that day started to go away. Rick had deadlines, we were waiting to hear from someone we needed to, there was a major news story we were following.

I will admit besides FB, I am a news junkie following many countries newspapers and broadcasts to get a more complete picture of any event than the slanted point of view of anyone source. Sadly, all of them can be upsetting.

Then Julian Assange was arrested. I have always admired his work, telling people of the crimes of those in power. I had met him briefly in Geneva when he spoke in front of the UN. He won't remember me. He has other things on his mind.

Something snapped.

Not just for this story, but the reactions of people, the hatred, the vitriol, the name calling, the amount of misinformation. I couldn't take it anymore.

Part of me wanted to hide in a cave, preferably one that was heated where I could get hot showers and enough light to read and write. For that I needed electricity and for research for my writing I needed the internet which could lead me back to my social media and news sources.

After returning to our French village after almost four months in our Swiss home, within the first 24 hours we met over 40 people we know, like and care about. Some were quick conversations, others were in depth.

A cave wasn't such a good idea between lack of creature comforts and people we like/love.

A less drastic approach was the decision to go almost off grid for a week. FB would be limited to checking messages. News would be limited. Emails I would check because of people I care about.

Immediately, I found myself calmer. And I gained time to edit my about to be published novel, Triple Deckers without the temptation to check FB or any of my news sources for something that might have happened in the last 15 minutes.

The week is up.

I still care about kids in cages, a deranged president, the Palestinians, climate change, gun control, and the horrendous state of health care in the country where my daughter lives. I still believe in the propaganda of what America was that I was taught in school. I want it to become real. I care about FATCA and the right of women to choose, causes I have fought for from writing a book to law suits, to going before Congress. I joke my name should be Donna Quixote and that I have Amazonian women tendencies that go beyond my missing right breast are still valid.

From now on I will pick my battles more carefully. Rather than spend hours trying to educate others about things I know and they don't, getting upset on things I can't change, I'll concentrate on my writing and the positive.

And of course I will continue to adore and appreciate my husband, my dog, my friends, the beauty of the two places I live and the good things we have in life.

Donna Quixote will only be in semi-retirement.