Excuse me while I leave the grid

Published 10:00 am Tuesday, July 7, 2015

I’m spending a week off the grid — no phone, no iPad and no computer — in the middle of the woods.

As someone who grew up not really ever knowing a time without Internet and cell phones, it’s hard to understand the merits of unplugging.

I grew up in the age of dial-up Internet and playing snake on my parents’ Nokias, but even then there was never a time I wanted or needed to disconnect.

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I have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat and LinkedIn, and I used to think I couldn’t imagine life without rotating checking between them.

Since entering the workforce, things have changed a bit. Now I check email, website statistics and social media accounts for The Vicksburg Post and other organizations over and over throughout the day.

I always said I wanted a job doing what I loved, and I definitely got what I asked for as a journalist.

I used to like getting likes, shares and retweets, but now I’m obsessed with creating sharable content.

It’s almost addictive, and I find myself going to check accounts and emails and web traffic even after hours most days.

That’s why I’m looking forward to this week, a whole week unplugged.

It will be strange being out of touch with local, state and national media, and even world news with the financial crisis in Greece and United States’ women’s soccer team doing so well.

I’ll admit, I have anxiety thinking about the unreturned emails I’ll have when I get back, not to mention the sheer amount. (I’m an inbox zero type of person.)

This week isn’t about that. This week is about family and friends and the great outdoors.

I’m looking forward to spending time on the lake, hiking in the woods and eating delicious food.

Sure, I’ll miss my life in Vicksburg, but it’s time for me to spend some time in middle of nowhere, Mississippi.

Sorry to those trying to reach me, but this week I’ll be unplugged.