I'm back in the office today after a week away. Time away on vacation is always good, yet this was a little different for me. We had a great time with friends at a cabin on the shores of Priest River in Idaho. And because we were in the USA, I had my phone off all week so as to avoid astronomical roaming charges. And we were at a cabin with no WiFi/Internet, so no checking email or anything either.

Honestly, if it was available, I wouldn't have been tempted to check in with work email or anything like that; I'm pretty intentional about that. But I know I would have been online somewhat, on Facebook and personal email. And while those aren't bad things, it was kinda nice not to have them. It allowed me to be fully physically present with my family and friends without even thinking about it.

Then I ran across an article about how digital devices are preventing true downtime in people's lives. It resonated with me especially today, having just come off a week of downtime without much digital device use at all (OK, I used the computer to process some photos and video we took during the week, and used my "phone" as a guitar tuner). It's nice to get back to being "connected", but we can never enjoy getting back if we never leave it in the first place.

Of course, this has obvious parallel to the Christian concept of Sabbath. Sabbath is not only "downtime" (my favourite definition of Sabbath comes from Eugene Peterson: Sabbath is time to "pray and play"). But downtime is certainly part of Sabbath. And to be fair, I can have "downtime" on a digital device (playing games, Facebook, etc.). But if that's all I ever do, I'm not experiencing everything else that God has to offer: the beauty of living next to a big river, singing songs around a campfire, good conversation with people actually in the room, swimming off the dock with my kids, enjoying amazing food (the antelope burgers were superb!), and so much more.

There is so much more to say about this idea of "presence" and what it really means in today's culture. But for now, after reading this post on your digital device (yes, I'm well aware of the irony of posting about getting "off the grid" that's only accessible if you're on the grid :) ), turn it off and enjoy that it's off for a while. Not only will your eyes thank you, the rest of you will too.

But then, enjoy all that comes with getting back "on": connecting with others, getting back to work that is good and productive, and enjoying all of those gifts that God has allowed us to experience in this culture. Downtime is good. But uptime is too, as long as, like the NY Times article suggests, we can understand the difference.