i needed control over my email…so, i made a separate email account giving very, very, very limited people access to it. my other account (the one most people have and that is linked on my blog) i’ll check and respond every so often. problem solved, right?
no. this did not remove my addiction, my need, to check my email. most of the time, i check it on my phone. i have turned into quite the text-messenger too. so, the heart issue of the condition – my need to constantly be plugged in – was NOT resolved.
until today.
my cell phone (the account, not the actual phone) has stopped working. no phone calls. no texts. no internet.
thank you, cingular-now named at&t-for forcing me not to be able to check my email 1238 times during the leadership summit.
and, uh, if you need to reach me…um, good luck. the best way is to probably comment here. i have no idea (nor do they) when the issue will be fixed.
huzzah!
freedom forced by technology.
Comments
13 responses to “you get what you wish for”
huzzah indeed!
I get a ribbin’ from all of my geek friends for not getting a smartphone/blackberry/iphone when I purchased my Samsung Sync (http://tinyurl.com/2fflc5). I don’t need to be THAT connected. I can’t even install the Gmail app on that phone (incompatible SSL certificates).
I can take calls, send/receive text messages, Google maps and some browsing thanks to Opera. I am g2g.
I am twitching and shaking for you! The withdrawals only get easier, stay the course! I love this blog! ha.
You said “so, the heart issue of the condition – my need to constantly be plugged in . . . “
I wonder if that’s REALLY the heart of the issue? If you’re like me, it’s an addiction/compulsion . . . a felt desperate “need” to “receive something” in order to “feel good.” And I don’t know that something it’s to be “plugged in” all the time so much.
I’ve started to dig into this myself, and for me, it’s the great expectation or anticipation of hopefully “receiving” something. Something that will make me “feel good” – as in any addiction or compulsion. Something to hopefully make me feel important, feel loved, feel needed, feel good etc. It’s a classic love hunger. It’s the same reason I used to have to check my voice mail all the time. (which I rarely use any more with email.) As well as why I feel and extreme urge to get my snail mail at home. (which is less of a desire these days of course) It’s why I look forward to the refrigerator when I get home from ANYTHING, because as a kid, I always got a treat after what were always stressful days at school for me. To me, I think that’s the honest truth and heart of the whole matter. In my case anyway.
Does that ring any bells Anne? I’d dig into the “why” of how you feel the need to constantly be plugged in. What’s driving it?
– John Carlson
I have a similar post that I will put up later this weekend. I locked myself out of my *own* mail server. I can’t check on my personal emails. What will I do? Ugh.
I feel your pain! Enjoy Leadership Summit without distractions…
Doesn’t this new company Cingular/ATT totally crap!!
I have so many lost calls. “I’m sorry Mrs. C. you are out of luck” Gimme a break a million dollar company and dropped calls. don’t get me started..
I would be so twitching…. :)
Ugh! Hate it when that happens, but then again, the silence can be kinda nice. same with power outages, since that’s the only excuse I have for not working….
Hope your work is going well on the book. Looking forward to reading it…
Blessings,
J/
i wish my blackberry provider would do that for the day.
if it buzzes one more time i may throw it down the toilet (at which point i’ll have to check myself into rehab for immediate withdrawals, but hey).
Isn’t that amazing? Just the other day I was thinking that I was spending too much time on the Internet. I even prayed about it. The next day, BAM! our Internet stopped working for almost 24 hours. Go figure. It was divinely helpful.
for me the need to be connected with computer at work, home and my iphone comes from trying to ignore what i really need to be doing. When i have things that should be on my radar or even spending time with God i get on my computer, send some emails, read some blogs….it is all because i dont want to be alone with myself. If i have my phone i can call anyone or text anyone. It scares me for my phone to stop working or to go dead. What if i need to call or text someone…..what if someone needs to reach me?
Uggh! what to do? what to do?
When we went on vacation a couple weeks ago, we had limited internet and the withdrawal set in. It was then I realized I was “addicted”—I’m following your lead and setting limits on blogging and technology times (oh this is gonna be tough!! ) I can sympathize with ya!!
Am also attending the leadership summit, just in a different town.
Am still reeling a bit from that whole ‘shadow mission’ thing.
Am still feeing the effects of trying to stifle audible sobs in full auditorium.
Am hoping I never get over it.
Heh. Anne’s Daddy took her cell phone away. Doesn’t it make you feel 14 again? I get a picture of Him standing there saying “Can you hear me now?” LOL. Being an addictive personality type myself, I’ve found that addiction is often just a way of saying that you love something more than is good for you. More than anything or anyone else is capable of getting in front of. I hear God is a jealous God. (grin)
sometimes God works in mysterious ways =]