Life Without Digital: Another Digital Detox Done

It’s done. Another digital detox.

Can you hear it? Can you smell it? You can touch it, breathe it, and feel it all around you. What is it that I’m talking about? It’s Life. The dearest gift humans can be thankful for. Are we thankful enough to cherish the small things life has to offer? Do we appreciate that we have an easier life than people living a century ago?

Imagine for a second life without electricity, automobiles, computers, and your mobile phone. If you can’t, why not? Maybe because you’ve never experienced what life is like without these devices and machines in your life. Immersing yourself in an endeavor where you’re reliant on simple tools of survival – food, shelter, defense, and instincts.

Every year, sometimes twice, I set off on a backpacking trip. I don’t do it for a vacation, I do it because I have to. It’s who I am and how I was born. Something inside yearns for the seclusion, away from everything thats stressful, especially digital.

I’ve been backpacking every year for the past five years. I’ve been out alone for weeks and sometimes just a few nights. If you read my post a year ago you’ll see the items I bring on a backpacking trip. Depending on the number of nights I’m away, my pack can range in weight, capacity, and items specific to weather and shelter (i.e. rain jacket or not? Tent or just sleep under the stars?).

My digital detox is focused on being outdoors, most likely a mountain range. This last trip was unique though. Believe it or not, it’s the first time I backpacked in the Northwest, where backpacking is pure. This is also where you can see, feel, smell, hear, and taste the most absolute pure beauty earth has to offer. Mountains that are so majestic and surreal, you’ll pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming. The water is pure. The air is light when you breath it. The air is fresh, completely odorless. The only sound is the breeze whispering in your ears. It’s perfect. And it’s away from any digital connection, off the grid, where life first started.

Let this be my official challenge to any reader who wants to experience life without a digital connection. No phone, no text message, no Facebook, no Twitter, etc. Walk away from it all for a day, maybe two, or even a week, and let me know how you feel. I’m curious. Aren’t you? You don’t have to do what I do. Just focus on unplugging the digital connections first.

A digital detox is natural for me, but is it natural for you? I encourage you to find your detox and embrace the gift of life without digital. Venture outside your comfort zone. You’ll learn, grow, and discover things you didn’t know about yourself. You might find thanks, you may find yourself, and the scariest of all; you might find that you can live without digital.