Going Tech Free for a Day

On Wednesday I decided that Thursday would be my Tech Free Day. To prepare for this momentous day, I decided to place my cell phones, yes I have two cell phones, in the living room as opposed to keeping them on my bedside table. I went to bed and was determined not to use technology of any sort. That determination faltered the minute my 2 year-old woke me up at 5:30am, gently requesting his bottle of milk. How did I know it was 5:30? Well as soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen, the green flashing light on the microwave told me so. To warm up his bottle, I used the microwave, fabulous time-saver piece of technology. As I was walking up the stairs towards my son's bedroom, bottle in hand, I saw my phones on the table. They looked lonely, and so I decided to pick them up and check my messages, Facebook entries, and the weather. I am obsessed about the weather. So, although I had been determined to go Tech-free, I failed miserably. The pull of technology was to much and I succumbed to it. There was one time I managed to go tech-free for one full day. Mind you, it was by force, not by choice. A few years ago, I visited a remote village in Sicily. It was a quaint little town. Absolutely adorable. BUT there was no internet or satellite connection. I could not use my phone to read emails, to navigate the net, or make phone calls. The first day was brutal. I was going through, I am certain, some kind of withdrawal. I was anxious, jittery, and felt like a part of me was missing. I started cursing that small Sicilian town. How can anyplace nowadays not "be connected"? I felt utterly annoyed. The following day, things were better. Perhaps because I got distracted by our trip's itinerary: exceptional food, gorgeous places to visit, warm people to meet. Of course, I had my digital camera with me. So, yet again, I was not completely tech-free. Can we really go tech-free? Those of us who use technology on a daily basis, whether it is our phone, our TV, our iPad, may find it next to impossible to go without them. What would be the consequences? We would definitely have more time. What we do with that time is up to us.