Wired!

I live wired! It isn’t just the prodigious amount of coffee I drink. That, of course, can put me on the hyper side, especially on days like today.

Morning began with a quick cup from the Keurig machine in the lobby of the place I was staying. It continued with a stop at Starbucks. Why didn’t I get the tall soy latte instead of the grande? Not sure. I suppose I didn’t have to drink it all, but it was too tasty not to drain the cup.

I might have been okay in the caffeine department if we hadn’t stopped at a local coffee house after lunch. My resolve to edit some documents was waning. A super grande cup of the house blend seemed just the thing. Just the thing for what, I am not sure. (We will see if I sleep at all tonight.)

I live wired—even when it is wireless! I have grown accustomed to instant Internet access at home, at work and on the go. A laptop, an iPad and an iPhone make it happen for me. Each gets used in turn depending on the circumstances. I have come to take it for granted that I will have Wi-Fi when I want it, and especially when I think I need it.

But tonight I am staying with my daughter, and there is no Wi-Fi in her apartment. Her decision not to have Wi-Fi is equal parts frugality and discipline. Not paying an Internet provider makes it easier to live on her carefully managed income. More importantly, it sets clear boundaries between study and relaxation. She can associate her serenely situated home in the woods with the all-important Rs—rest, relaxation and relationship with God and friends.

I admire her discipline and her outlook. I don’t possess it myself. I have no boundaries when it comes to work and little desire to change. I am as likely to draft an email at 11 pm or 5 am any day, as I am to send one at 10:30 am on a workday.

So this afternoon, I am writing my blog about the fact that I can’t work on it at any old haphazard time tonight. I can write it on my computer, but I will still have to take time to go somewhere with WiFi and upload it to my blog. (Crafting a blog on an iPad is doable I suppose, but not very appealing to me today.)

I am realizing how much I take for granted. I wonder if my life would have a more productive rhythm if I maintained a few boundaries. What would happen if I turned off the wireless router at home at a decided upon time and chose to do something that didn’t connect me to the greater world? What if I were strong enough not to turn it off but simply discipline myself not to use it after 8? Would I resort to using the data feature on my phone or iPad? Perhaps this is something I should consider.

On the other hand, maybe this disturbing train of thought is just the caffeine talking.