My Unplugged Life

I sometimes take for granted what an unplugged life I live, compared to many of the people I know. I grew up without television or the internet in my home - and, amazingly, I still have managed to keep both out of my house, with the exception of the internet access I do have on my smartphone. During my college years, of course, I was on the internet daily at school, but my summers became much more technology free, as I would spend many of my days at home or with friends, often enjoying the big outdoors and seldom looking down at my phone for updates from the technological world.

These days, having recently graduated from college, I find myself faced with the prospect of "eternal summer," you could say, in the sense that I am no longer required to spend the bulk of my time in front of the computers in the school library. Therefore, I find myself online much less than ever before. This may be bad news for my blogs, unfortunately... although I do have high-minded goals about writing posts on Word documents at home and then bringing them in town to upload them once a week or something like that. I am really hoping I will not completely neglect my blogging, as it's been a great creative and reflective outlet for me this past semester.

But if you hear less from me, it's probably because I am busy seeing things in "the real world." Let me encourage you to do the same this summer. It's a perfect season to live life unplugged.

Ciao.

I'm Nobody! Who Are You?

I'm Nobody! Who Are You?

By Emily Dickinson

I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you - Nobody - too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!

How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog -
To tell one's name - the livelong June -
To an admiring Bog!

Society says, get out there and make a name for yourself. Dress to impress, to stand out, and that includes your personal website. Post your best selfie and wait for the likes to roll in. Make sure you tweet at least three times a day, so people don't forget you exist. Because they will. You know they will.

They will anyway. Within thirty seconds, they'll scroll down, and your face will be history. Which is why Emily Dickinson stands in the shadows in her long white dress and says, I'm Nobody! Who are you?

You don't have to be somebody, she says. That's boring; banal. Hide with me, says Emily, the ghost, the recluse. Work by moonlight in your own dark garden. You know who you are. Don't ask them to tell you; they'll just get it wrong.