Take Off the Running Shoes Brah

My phone was dirty so I put it in with my laundry for a couple 20 minutes. A couple of tricks to dry out electronics: set it on top of your refrigerator (fridges pull liquid) and the classic put it in a bowl of rice (Asians come to fix the damp electronics when you go to sleep). Neither of those worked for me, but then again my dunking was a bit extreme.

Ducks aren't the most athletic of animals, but they are quick. And when on the water they seem relaxed, their finned feet are moving swiftly under the surface. It's quacktastic.

A couple lessons to be learned about water and my phone getting intimate: 1. Verizon doesn't make it that simple to get a new mobile device. 2. There are more things at play than meet the eye.

I've been phone-less Joe for about 4 days now. It's been a great unintentional cleanse. What has happened with the evolution of the smartphone, is we've created a toy to keep our attention and provide constant instantaneous communication with each other. And since a large number of us have our phone near us 24/7, we've subconsciously created a mental dependency to our hand held devices.

Pull up to a red stoplight, yeah I'll check what time the game is tonight. Waiting for my Chipotle order to be done, Instagram it is! We've conditioned our brain to avoid pausing at all costs. I'm not saying it's the most negative thing, but from my experience, after time, from the constant mental hustle and bustle, your brain gets tired.

People have different reactions to this brain fatigue. Mine was simply developing what I call "thought ADD".  Instead of fully thinking out an idea, I'd hop over to checking my email Inbox, or I'd text a buddy.  This could be a permanent societal thing now, but what my technology sabbatical reminded me of is how refreshing it is to have fuller thoughts. We deprive our brain about fully reflecting on things through technology and we avoid what I term "Thought Obesity."

Phones and technology will be what they will be, but what I'm encouraging you to do is take some time from your normal pace. Even if it's just a weekend where you don't look at some kind of screen as soon as you wake up, try it. Winter is coming, plump up your thoughts.

Just like there's more going on than meets the eye in a duck's world, I think there is a reason I laundered my phone. Someone wanted me to slow down, and I'm cool with that.

New in my life: I need to explore the store across the street more thoroughly, it seems neat. Coffee and a sunrise is good for the soul. Charlie Bob's or bust.

Keep Smilin'

#goAtlife