Reboot Yourself!

“Reboot yourself”, I overheard a guy say at a party. His listeners looked puzzled. “You know, like rebooting a computer,” he continued. “You turn it off, it clears itself and you get a fresh start.”
“And how”, I inquired, “do you reboot yourself?” “Hiking” he replied.

This man understands the need to pull back from the constant busy-ness of daily life to refresh himself. And his analogy is telling. To say we live in a digital age is, at this point, a yawn. “Well, I don’t use a computer all the time,” you may think. Wrong. While you may not touch a computer, every aspect of work is based on computers. Bank records, bills, insurance, inventory for everything from grocery store food to automotive parts…all use computer networks. If you work in an office, you surely use a computer. If you ’re reading this, you are using a computer.

The “digital divide” is no longer between the haves and have-nots. It’s the divide between using technology constantly and getting outdoors and enjoying the natural world. Our challenge is to weave nature into our daily lives.

Here’s one way to start. This Saturday, June 2nd, is National Trails Day. There are events in all 50 states, and you would be surprised at how many hiking trails are near urban areas.
A map and listing of events is here:
http://www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd/events.html

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Step away from your computer. Get outdoors. Take quiet satisfaction in knowing that although our lives may be tied to computers, you are taking the time to treat yourself right and reboot yourself.