My Adriatic Adventure Includes Less Smartphone, More Sea and Mountains

Last night, I was reading a book that referenced 9/11.

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

It got me thinking about how that day unfolded for me.

And it got me thinking about my relationship with technology.

And well, I thought I would share.

That morning, I drove to work.

It was 2001.

I did not have a cell phone. I was not focused on text messages, phone calls, or notifications coming through my smartphone.

I was focused on two things: driving and listening to music.

At that point, Napster was giving me access to music I had never heard before, and I was busy burning CDs and listening to music any chance I could get.

I am pretty sure I was happy. And free of anxiety or stress.

I recall walking into the bank that morning, smiling, probably humming a tune.

I recall looking at one of my co-workers. She noticed my smile and my cheery disposition. I think she was a tad shocked.

Co-worker: Marijana, haven’t you been listening to the news on the radio?

Me: No, I was listening to music on my CD player.

That’s when she informed me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Towers in Manhattan.

The second plane hadn’t crashed into the other tower yet.

I recall that day vividly.

I recall a co-worker wheeling out the TV set from the kitchen.

Photo by Ajeet Mestry on Unsplash

I recall getting live updates from that same TV set.

I recall that it was a SLOW day at the bank.

I recall being focused on two things: my job and the one TV set giving us live updates.

I recall getting home and getting live updates via news I accessed on television.

No laptop, no smartphone, no additional electronic device to focus on/distract me/bombard me with information.

The next day, I woke up, went downstairs, turned on the TV set, and received more updates.

I don’t have a Facebook memory to remind me of that day.

I don’t have a photo of that event on my smartphone.

That day is a Marijana memory stored in my mind.

I rarely revisit the day’s events, but they are relatively easy to retrieve. They are stored in my memory bank.

I wonder what my day would have looked like if I had a smartphone, or if I had Twitter, or if I had access to multiple electronic devices.

Of course, I get it. I would have had access to different points of view. Different perspectives. Different people to lean on and explore what we were feeling as observers.

But I didn’t have that access. And there is part of me that is grateful for that.

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Yesterday, an earthquake hit Turkey and Syria.

How did I find out about it?

I opened my Instagram account and saw a few photos posted by news sites I follow.

Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

I then took to Twitter and read a few stories to get a summary of the information I needed.

I did not revisit the news until the end of the day.

I did not need/want to access the live updates.

I am thankful that people who have loved ones in those areas could do so.

I know one person who is currently in Syria. I sent her a message via Instagram. I checked to see if she was ok. She was. And that’s all my mind wanted to process.

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So what does this have to do with my Adriatic adventure?

I’ve spent the last few years limiting my time on electronic gadgets, especially since the pandemic.

It’s served me well.

I respect the tools out there. I recognize their power. And I place boundaries on how much time they get in my life.

I see the harm they do. I also see that they can be used for good. I focus on the good and place boundaries on how and when I interact with technology.

No, I haven’t decided to turn back the hands of time and live without cool gadgets. For example, I cannot wait to unbox my robot vacuum. Yup.

I have decided to limit my information consumption via smartphones and apps.

All those tools serve a purpose. It is up to me to define, with clarity, what purpose and for what duration of time.

I do not need to be aware of everything happening out there. It’s a LOT!

The view from my apartment.

I live in a beautiful country. I access great walking and hiking trails. I swim in the Adriatic. I play tennis on clay courts. I spend significant parts of my days outdoors - when there’s no Bura to deal with.

I need to keep an eye on my health and well-being and how that gets compromised when I spend too much time on a smartphone or laptop - because it does!

I am sure I could have done all this in Canada.

But this works.

Croatia works for me.

Less Smartphone. More Adriatic. More Mountains.

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And that’s how I went from 9/11 to smartphones to the Adriatic sea.

I’m now heading out for an evening walk along the waterfront.

Will I bring my smartphone?

Probably. I like to listen to music while I go for walks.

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