I admit to enjoying being snowed in. I also admit to being addicted to watching the updates Facebook. It is fun to see everyone hunkered down and keeping warm - completely isolated, but together nonetheless.
I also sort of miss the cut off from the world feeling one gets from being TRULY isolated. I can remember when I first moved to Chicago after college. I had a new apartment and no phone line. No computer, no internet access and cell phone, either (this was in those ancient precellphonic days of late last century). Now granted, I was in the middle of a city, with a Kinkos (er, sorry FEDEX OFFICE) down the street and a grocery store with one of those quaint "pay phones" outside. But when I closed my apartment door, I was alone. Completely, utterly and in all other ways, alone. I certainly felt more cut off then - fully able to open my front door, walk outside and run into dozens of people within minutes of hitting the street - than I do now when I can't even open my front door, let alone run into anyone on the street. I HATED that feeling back then. Now, when I forget my cell phone, I relish the feeling of being my own little unit, cut off, alone, just driving (or walking) around by myself and no one has any way in the world to reach me. Nice. 
So I can look out my window now, and see the THREE FEET of snow piled high on the azaleas, power lines down, phones out, and yet know that my friend in DC has enough chocolate and wine to last til Thursday, that my friend in Iowa has her parents in town for the weekend, and that my sister's husband's college roommate took his wife out to dinner last night at IHOP. Not to mention all the world news I can stand. 
So am I going to unplug this weekend? Probably not. Way too important to know who's having oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow morning,
But I will take a walk through the snow...without my cell phone.
Relish the silence.
No comments:
Post a Comment