When I was in New York City in 2012, I didn't have a smart phone and I relied heavily on the kindness, patience and knowledge of strangers for directions. In doing so, I not only made friends, but I got to experience first hand the rushed frenzy of city life and those who are willing to hesitate to stop amidst it and the gentle, calm manner with which New Yorkers are able to move from mistrust to a willingness to be open.
This time around, now the (often begrudging) owner of a smart phone, I mostly keep it tucked in my bag and continue to seek out the assistance of New Yorkers. Again, I am delighted to be met with openness and patience for the most part.
While I'm extremely grateful for the technology that I now lug around with me, including a smart phone and a laptop, because it allows me to work remotely, thereby paying for my playing, I find that I also resent these same devices because they keep me from wandering aimlessly the way I prefer, without distraction and completely on my own schedule. I suppose that this is the double-edged sword of a freelancer's life, especially for someone like me who loves to travel and prefers secluded and remote areas off the proverbial beaten path, meaning limited phone and wifi service, meaning having to plan my work time.
This trip, for the first time, I have worked on my laptop while on a plane, a bus, a train and a car. Perhaps I should return to hitch hiking, where a laptop would be ridiculous! I am trying to focus on the blessings this technology provides to me and not on the hassle, but on days when I want to walk the beach until sunset or stay on a wooded trail for hours on end and this time is interrupted so I can write or interview people, well, I never thought I'd complain about writing for a living.
In the meantime, I'm in New York City having fun and working as I need to, tossed back and forth between the present moment and Alaska life, which leaves me feeling a bit run ragged and fragmented. But, it is what it is, which is exactly what I asked the Universe for, so, I'm just still figuring it all out...
This time around, now the (often begrudging) owner of a smart phone, I mostly keep it tucked in my bag and continue to seek out the assistance of New Yorkers. Again, I am delighted to be met with openness and patience for the most part.
While I'm extremely grateful for the technology that I now lug around with me, including a smart phone and a laptop, because it allows me to work remotely, thereby paying for my playing, I find that I also resent these same devices because they keep me from wandering aimlessly the way I prefer, without distraction and completely on my own schedule. I suppose that this is the double-edged sword of a freelancer's life, especially for someone like me who loves to travel and prefers secluded and remote areas off the proverbial beaten path, meaning limited phone and wifi service, meaning having to plan my work time.
This trip, for the first time, I have worked on my laptop while on a plane, a bus, a train and a car. Perhaps I should return to hitch hiking, where a laptop would be ridiculous! I am trying to focus on the blessings this technology provides to me and not on the hassle, but on days when I want to walk the beach until sunset or stay on a wooded trail for hours on end and this time is interrupted so I can write or interview people, well, I never thought I'd complain about writing for a living.
In the meantime, I'm in New York City having fun and working as I need to, tossed back and forth between the present moment and Alaska life, which leaves me feeling a bit run ragged and fragmented. But, it is what it is, which is exactly what I asked the Universe for, so, I'm just still figuring it all out...
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