I left the house so fast, I forgot my earphones. It was 4pm and I was suffering from a serious case of cabin fever. The whole day at home with the kids and an autumn day that started rainy and dark but blossomed after lunch into a glorious sunny day. And I was inside.
As soon as I could, I shot out to go for a walk and some fresh air.
But I left my headphones behind. I realised this about 10 seconds after exiting in a huff and for a split second I considered going back. I was on a mission to move forward, so no turning back.
I accepted my unplugged fate for the next hour. It was a strange thought. Just walking, not doing anything else to be doubling my productivity. I always listen to music, podcasts or call people when I walk.
Ok, let’s try it, I hope I don’t get bored. But then I thought about my focus topics - our behaviour influenced by various technology apps and devices, tech addiction and whether we are still in control of our selves.
The dominance of devices in our life is something I feel very strongly about and partially why this blog exists - to raise awareness into how we behave with technology and why. And I know, I am not better than anyone else, here. I face the same internal battles.
It hit home. I had to be my own target audience today.
So I walked and I listened to the world. I paid extra attention, as I had to prove to myself that my own work was having, first and foremost, an influence on me!
I listened to the trees, I looked at the trees. Oh so pretty and green.
I listened to the river, I looked at the river. Oh so majestic and determined.
I listened to the people walking past me, to the babies in the prams gooing and gaaing. (Side note - it’s worth pointing out that sometimes you don’t really want to hear what people talk about - there’s a lot of drivel there. The babies make more sense sometimes).
I looked at people in the eyes. The babies too. Oh such cute little buttons.
I listened to the children screaming around in the playground and beer cans being opened on the lawn.
I listened to to the boom of the airplane above and the thump of foot against gravel of the runner going past me.
I felt like in a sci-fi film where the main character suddenly recalls memories from their past with all the colour and sounds.
The mind cleared though still conducting mad conversations with myself, but my thoughts were entirely my own. My head was not filling with auxiliary input. Even if this input can make us feel enlightened, informed, entertained, motivated and inspired, it still needs some mental resources to interpret, digest and actively try to store it somewhere for later retrieval. “oh this is interesting, I must remember it for later”.
Just having a thought, a conversation with ourselves or even (yes the madness is within us) calling things as you see them, as if you would be pointing them out to a blind person, puts us in the center of our own mini solar system. Otherwise we are just another planet in the orbit of someone else’s sun.
I would add purposeful, uninterrupted, curious listening to the world around us (preferably not at a construction site) as another self-care practice that can be easily adopted to increase the happy hormones.
Try forgetting your headphones on purpose and listen to the Sound of Silence.
PS I also like the Disturbed cover. Look it up.
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