Wishing you both safe travels and a peaceful time.

Talking of "sans-tech", I'm within a gnat's crotchet of pulling the card out of the phone for a while. It is a demanding little mistress and not at all contributing to my mental well-being. I do hate it so.

I have a stout contractor grade dumb-phone stashed away that is compatible with the current mobile protocols. Just a mobile phone. It's a very appealing notion...

It's a matter of both the addictive nature of the instrument itself and the social expectations it creates. We've allowed ourselves to not only be on-demand 24/7 to the entire planet but to somehow feel it is an obligation to jump at every text no matter how intrusive, google rather than think, believe the bile that issues forth from the political spectra, live in constant fear of the weather; this thing replaces our brains.

We're being indoctrinated to believe these are beyond indispensable. Every advert, especially those aimed at the Millennial and Gen-z market, a model is posed (with or without the product being advertised) with the required portal in her hand, smiling longingly and lovingly at the tiny Screen of Narcissus. Every image we are shown, always with the phone. I wonder what really is being advertised here.

"Mirror, mirror..."