Alone without my phone
I’ve just gone for an early morning walk in Utrecht, in the Netherlands. I love the light here; It filters through the trees and reflects off the canals, creating a soothing prism effect.
But I didn’t take a photo for you or a little video to share as a story on Instagram because I was walking alone without my phone. Shocking, I know.
It feels freeing—naughty, almost—to be unavailable, except to myself.
So my challenge for you this week is to go for a 15 minute walk without your phone. The point is to open to the pleasure of your own company. It’s not meditation, exactly, but a chance to be with your mind.
If you do, please comment on SubStack and let me know how it felt.
Until next Sunday,
Lizzie
Recommended reading/listening:
Practical thoughts on slowing down from Erica Morton Magill
The Buddhist Case For Laziness from Ten Percent Happier
Hi Lizzie,
It's so funny to be commenting about not using technology through technology. However, I totally get where you're coming from. I often go for a walk without my phone and like you, just love it.
Yesterday I went for a wonderful walk with my 23 year old daughter. We took our phones, but I used our wonderful UK Ordinance Survey mapping maps. It was so nice to look at the paper maps, the contours, the beauty of the print on the paper and the rustling awkwardness that using a paper map brings.
You would have loved the spot we found. A wonderful river with beautiful summer Willow trees bowing over the banks. We swam up, up, up the river and then enjoyed swimming with the current back down the river. What joy there is to be found in this funny world we share.
I always take my dog on a walk without a phone. My husband always complains about it. I noticed that I really don’t like walking with my husband and his phone anymore. He made me realize how much we use it for simple things. Like checking the weather, responding to the latest text message, or looking up a simple question. All of it can wait for just 30 minutes or an hour.