Recharging My Batteries without the Use of Technology

Here's a follow-up to yesterday's post about slowing down. I was in DC, a good 45 minutes to kills between a business meeting and meeting a friend for lunch. Lately, I've been doing some low-level research on replacements for my dying phone and my archaic dumb PDA: do I get similar replacements or better ones, or do I combine them into one and get a smart phone? So I was thinking about gadgets I had looked at when I was heading out of my work meeting, thinking about how useful one of them might be at that moment: to see what bookstores were nearby, to check my email, to get a review on the restaurant I was meeting my friend at, anything to help pass the time.

Then, I snapped out of it. It was a gorgeous day in DC. I was right in DuPont Circle, with plenty of benches to choose from and copious street life to make sitting down and people-watching worthwhile. I had my Economist magazine to look at, lots of thoughts racing through my head, and not a few significant prayer requests I could lift up to God. In short, I didn't need a technological device to help me "pass the time," for I could simply be in the present, soaking in the rays and being still.

And so, for the next 45 minutes, I did just that. And, maybe my body really needed the sunshine after months of cold and snow; but I think my soul benefited from the chill time. So body and soul were refreshed, and I made note to postpone any gadget purchase.