Summer Goals: Ride More, Feel More, Write More – Be Free

While on the ferry heading towards New London, I stood out on the deck watching the approaching harbor.

the coffee pot light house

The Coffee Pot – Off of Orient Point, NY

As I moved around the vessel I glanced into the windows of the ferry cabin. Most of the people lining the window seats weren’t looking out the window. They were staring down… into their phones.

new london harbor lighthouse

The New London Harbor Lighthouse

Welcome to the Borg. You Will Be Assimilated.

“What are we doing?” I thought.

We’re sitting around staring into lighted rectangles getting high on photographs of other people enjoying their lives. I probably picked up on it because I am guilty of it.

There is no denying that I get wrapped up in social media. Sometimes I rely on it as a crutch or a time filler. But there was a large part of my life when it wasn’t available. How has it become something so addictive?

Enjoy Responsibly

The gift of having a supercomputer in your pocket allows you tell your story to a wide audience – in real time if you want to. You can discover new and wonderful ideas, create connections, see beautiful places that perhaps you can’t reach in life. Maybe the key is just moderation?

And maybe circumstance. For example – If you’re visiting the Sequoia trees, sure take some pictures but don’t miss actually being there because your mind is on the phone. This kind of throws back to something I posted last year about selfies. You see throngs of young people taking selfies at famous places but all you see is their mug hogging up the frame. They could be anywhere. They aren’t actually sharing a view from wherever they are. Strange.

Since I stare at a computer all day to make a living, I do tend to get burned out. Being on my motorcycle is the perfect opportunity for me to disconnect. When riding I’m present in the moment. Yes, my mind does also wonder about abstract topics or things I’d like to do, writing the story of my imaginary life where I am a superheroine, or finishing open-ended conversations –  but I am able to think with a clarity I don’t find in any other way. It’s interesting how relaxed one is at 75mph while sitting on whirling metal parts and a jug of gasoline.

It probably sounds silly and maybe ridiculously obvious but there is a palpable feeling of freedom when my brain is not being bombarded with digital information. Unfettered time is required for me to write this very blog. I can’t get the words out when my mind is cluttered.

Ride More. Be Free.

It would seem that I feel better about my blog when I don’t force it. It may seem counterintuitive but I actually write more in less time when I don’t “work” on it. That’s when I just purge my thoughts out (like now). So, that’s my task for this summer. Ride more, feel more, write more. Be free.

 

 

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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5 Responses

  1. K hickok says:

    Wonderful! Great way to begin again.

  2. RichardM says:

    Beautiful lighthouse pictures!

    I gotta admit that I don’t quite understand the whole “selfie” thing. A couple of days ago we stopped at the south viewpoint with a spectacular view of Denali. All these people were there aiming their phone at themselves with the mountain somewhere in the background. Weird…

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Thanks, Richard 🙂

      I get wanting a photographic record of yourself in a place, kind of like what we would’ve done with a point and shoot with our kids on vacation, now we just do it ourselves. Makes sense. But, when you remove whatever is in the background every stinkin’ time? weird. Self-portraiture or a portrait is a valid art form. I’m not sure why many digital selfies stink of something else to me, though.

  3. Shybiker says:

    You identify a major problem of modern life, one that is making people less happy. It is for this reason I refuse to own a smartphone. When I’m out in the world, I want to experience my surroundings. It’s enough to be on social media when I return home and sit on the couch. I don’t need to read Facebook, Twitter or blogs away from home. I don’t understand why people staring into their phones don’t understand this. They’re missing the life in front of them.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      I agree but sometimes I shoot myself in the foot by falling in to the phone trap. I’m actively working on changing that though.

      Now i’ve become so sensitive to when i feel people in my presence are putting up the phone wall between us. It’s a strange sensation. the person almost “shuts off” to you.

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