A Week Without a Phone
For the past couple of months, my husband and I have been looking for a new home in Portland, Oregon. We have been running all over town, usually with two kids in tow, with our very patient realtor (who thankfully is also our close friend) hoping to find our next domestic adventure, at least in regards to homeownership.
As we search for “something new,” and our friend and realtor encourages us to “prioritize our needs” with respect to our new home, I am compelled to picture our future life. I am finding myself living more and more in a state of what could be rather than what is. My phone would beep with alerts of new houses popping up on the market and I would check them immediately. In fact, my phone was full of all kinds of apps and alerts telling me all of my many activity options. My phone, like my house hunt, was filled with “what could be.” I would be at one event with my family and my phone would alert me to several other events that were happening via texts, community calendars, event reminders, etc… And then I lost my phone. I panicked for approximately one hour. I told myself I should go right away to get a new phone, but the store was closed. I told myself I would go in the morning…but then realized there was a musician I wanted to take my son to in the morning. I finally made it to the store and just as the man at Verizon had me almost convinced that the only thing to do was to buy a new one, I asked…doesn’t my insurance cover lost phones? He said that it did but assumed I didn’t want to wait the 24 hours to get a new one in the mail. I told him I would happily wait and promptly left the store.
That was one week ago, and while the phone was overnighted, it has been in the closet, in a box, unconnected. I realized that my husband and I planned for months and months for me to be able to leave my full-time job in order to Life Coach part time and be with our children…and I was just as “plugged in” as I was when I was working full time. I made this huge life transition but didn’t know how to detach from my “busy” days. I was craving this detachment but didn’t know how to get it…until the universe made it possible for me, by swallowing my phone. I have never felt so present when playing with my kids. I thought my phone/Instagram/Facebook/email helped me pass the time when I was with them, but all it did was pull me out of the moment. It glorified the “what could be” rather than the “what is.” And while I will reconnect my phone soon, I have vowed to leave it in the closet much more often.
Happily disconnected and more connected,
Rachel
Rachel has over 10 years of experience working with diverse communities in the non-profit sector. She has spent the past 7 years focusing on non-profit management, fundraising, and leadership development. She is passionate about pro-active communication and goal setting. Rachel empowers her clients by inspiring them to take risks both professionally and personally.
Rachel has a BA from Clark University in Psychology/Communications & Culture. She received her MA from Simmons College in Cultural Studies. She holds a certificate of achievement for the successful completion of Positive Psychology, and became a Certified Professional Life through New Vibe Training Center, an accredited partner of the International Coaching Federation.
“Getting ‘unstuck’ is one of the greatest feelings in this life, and a good coach can inspire that freedom to move forward.”