Untethered
Have you ever wondered what those sneakers hanging on the telephone wire mean? Well, there’s an urban myth that says that those seemingly random dangling sneakers indicate a place where you can buy drugs. I don’t know if it’s true and I haven’t ever tried to find out, but the myth does make me wonder – are there drugs stashed close by those old sneakers?
There are lots of urban myths out there and many are true, but just as many are just fantasy. In fact, everything we believe, think, do, say and even see, is open for interpretation – life is open for interpretation. That brings me to my current experiment with living an untethered life. I’m currently cutting the cords on quite a few belief systems that have kept me tethered to a small life for a very long time.
I’m writing this blog post on a wireless iPad. At this point at least half of the world’s population has a wireless device like a smart phone or tablet. So, why are we still tethered to old ways of living like working in an office, watching telvision via a cable or paying for a hard wire telephone line? We tether ourselves to our homes and offices without considering how much of our valuable life energy we’re expending to maintain the connection. If technology is meant to make our lives easier, why are we drowning in email management? Are we really wireless or just pretending to be free? How many devices does it take to achieve techno-freedom anyway?
I don’t have any answers to these questions, but I have a feeling that a big part of the problem is addiction. We’re a people addicted to things – that could be the latest tech gadget, trendy handbag or even the latest workout. We need more of everything to feel adequate. It’s time to truely unplug. It’s time to let go. It’s time to ignore the sneakers on the telephone wire, no matter how loudly they call to us. Cut the cord and set yourself free.
Culver McCall 
It’ Easy to Digital Detox when you live on on island in the gulf of Mexico or in the Mountains of Maine (both places have poor internet/ cell service). I’ve gone Totally Postal (today anyway). Thanks for your messages. We still have landline phones in both homes and the telemarketers have stopped calling. I don’t do Facebook. My children and grandchildren know how to get a hold of me. I do Facetime and Skype once/week.