Girls Retweet

In this crazy wired-world, we all need to get away, unplug, recharge but man it’s tough to make that happen! Good thing we have those friends that make us make it a priority, they do all the planning and we just have to show up (easier said than done). Getting ready to get away is so much work, but when you get there…it’s way worth it!

I was lucky enough to be invited to a girls’ retweet recently and the goal was to get away and spend some focused time on projects that were never getting done for one reason or 50 other reasons. We went to a beach house and upon arrival realized our fancy phones didn’t have service. After a collective high-pitched horror scream heard around the world, we settled into the idea of enjoying the next 4 days being off the grid, getting things done (we had wi-fi at least whew) and connecting the old-fashioned way.

It was a rough detox, complete with shakes, the DT’s and blank stares at our phones just freaking over what was going on in the wired-world without us…OMG what WOULD we be missing?!

We quickly filled that void with chocolate, red wine and walks on the beach. We found our shoulders sinking back down from our ears (with the help of the massage therapist we brought with us) and the swelling in our thumbs going down. We were so happy to let our 10,000 words a day flow as opposed to being corralled to 160 characters in a text or tweet.

Of course the walks on the beach were still captured on our fancy phones for posting later to prove how much fun we had. It made me think of that age old question, “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise?” I wondered, “If we walk on the beach and have fun, but don’t take a pic and post it to Facebook did we actually have fun?”

Disconnecting was a challenge, we have all become so dependent on that mobile phone crack. But what a fabulous experience…we slept in, we created amazing things (yes on our laptops), we sat by a fire pit and told stories and made s’mores. We belly laughed, we talked about boys (some 4 yrs. old and some 40), we breathed in the fresh salt air and we ate…holy cow we ate and it was great! And not a #4 from the drive thru window but homemade grandma recipes of chicken verde and snack bars…like the good old days!

Let’s be clear…I have a foot firmly planted in both camps. I love me some texting but I also love making memories in person (a dying art). I love the tools that allow you to be connected 24/7, heck Facebook allows me to attend my high school reunion, daily, without having to buy a cocktail dress or lose 20 lbs. But I worry that my kids couldn’t keep track of their shoes from day to day but they haven’t misplaced their phones in five years. Are they so wired and dependent that they won’t know how to play capture the flag without that tech appendage?

I challenge all of you to go rogue…try it, disconnect and in that space you may realize how great it is to really connect, maybe even at a fabulous girls retweet!

Happy Birthdays!

as seen on the Crave Crack-Up @ www.thecravecompany.com July 18, 2010

Summer brings fun in the sun, tan lines and a ton of birthdays. I’m pretty sure it’s due to the cold fall weather nine months earlier. It gets chilly, folks curl up and the next summer you’re hiring clowns and ordering birthday cakes.

I just celebrated a “mid-fourty” (yeah let’s go with that) milestone and it got me thinking about birthdays. I’ve decided to embrace my age, I’m one year closer to owning my stuff and embracing the wisdom that comes with knowing who you are and who you’re not (like coming to terms with the fact that the last time I was a size 6 was when I was 6 and I’ll never see that number on a clothes tag again)…I was inspired when I read this passage recently ”take kindly the counsel of your years” then realized it was from an online guy looking to date women 22-26.

You know that cool Martina McBride song that says, “every laugh line on your face made you who you are today”….well, I have no idea what was so frickin funny over the years but I must’ve had a great time somewhere along the way cause I have the roadmap on my face to prove it!

When you celebrate your 10th birthday you love that Mexican place where you get to wear that huge sombrero and all the clapping just for you and when they light the ice cream on fire. When you turn 36 there you just want the singing to cease so strangers will stop staring.

My oldest son turned 18 recently, a huge milestone right? I mean come on the kid had made it to adulthood, that in itself warranted a fireworks display in both our honors. He was about as excited for his special day as he was his 1st birthday…giving me a blank stare as if to say ”what’s all the hype about woman?” He wore a crazy hat in his 1st birthday picture, now he’s sporting a cap & gown…he still dresses funny in birthday pictures. I was looking forward to my present…after all the kid was still breathing even after I had lost him, poisoned him, made him wear shoes that were 2 sizes too small for a year. What do I win to celebrate that “we” made it 18 yrs?!

When I was 40 I threw myself a big bash with live band and all….I couldn’t believe I had made it that far…and on the way home from the party I bought a huge jar of anti-wrinkle cream.

Let’s hear it for office birthday parties, there’s all that healthy stuff in the break room but on birthday day you b-line to the conference room and you’re like “happy special day, Dave whatever your last name is from accounting”, thanks for being born, now let’s eat some chocolate cake.

Birthdays are a milestone in your life, they are cause for reflection & anticipation. I personally will pour myself a stiff drink, cheers myself and kindly celebrate “the counsel of my years”!