Friday, June 28, 2013

One day I'll be off the grid

I have prided myself lately on my ability to not mesh with the rest. I might get caught up in the moment, briefly. I don't take it all too seriously though. I don't like being 'readily available'.

I didn't grow up having anything on demand, let alone whatever show you felt like watching. I remember when we finally got cable. Before that, I remember having 3 channels. You didn't have a choice. When you went to school the next day, everyone was talking about the same show.

You had one telephone. It had a circle on it with holes for numbers, that you turned around, and a cord attached to the wall. If your mom was on the phone, you knew she couldn't catch you in time. If someone called looking for you, they were going to have to find you.

Then came the pager. So that we could summon someone from whatever they were doing so that you could call them. It was a mothers way of saying 'call home'. It soon became the way to buy drugs. Either way, you needed a pay phone.

So after years of technology we have cell phones, computers, Internet, and social networks. I have a Pinterest account, don't hardly use it. I have a Twitter account, can't remember the password. I've signed up for stuff just to check them out, just someone else trying to get my money. I have 2 email accounts, both have close to 10K emails. I have a phone that occasionally rings or beeps. I don't know where it is at the moment.

I don't want to be conveniently available. I'm not into constantly text messaging, emailing, talking on the phone, opening mail, I'm just not.
I've gotten further and further from it too. I used to do it every day, all day.

I have no credit cards. I have been buying everything with cash for the last few years. From furniture to cars to R.V's. I owe no finance charges anywhere. It's all mine. Doesn't mean I'm not broke, but I don't owe anyone.

Guess what that means? I don't get many bills in the mail!

No checking, no ATM cards, no personal credit accounts with Rent to Own, or payday loans, or personal bank loans. None. I do not believe in paying finance charges. I learned. It's cash, or I can't afford it.

All these different ways to contact people and take their money. You can keep it.

People complicate things too much. You want it all, see it all, do it all, so you take a loan out and get a second job and then the kids aren't happy unless you financed them that new Xbox or Ps4. Ten years later you got a lonely wife and spoiled kids. Take them for a walk, find pretty leaves, smell the flowers, make arts and crafts, do some free nature shit for crying out loud.


My friends and support groups are here so it would be hard to give up the Internet. I just hate the idea of logging into 5 different accounts. If it's not all I one place then I'm old and confused, and it's time-restraining. I have better things to do.

Less stress, less bills, less anxiety. No collector phone calls. I learned. Been there, not doing it again. I have vowed to make my life as simple and carefree and stressless as possible, and I'm really working on it. I insist it. I'm getting a little closer every day.