Going offline

Dear friends,
 Since January I have been taking a sabbatical from teaching to concentrate on writing. After attending two writing conferences and a lot of research, I discovered that being a successful writer requires an interconnected digital platform. This includes an author’s Web site, a blog, and social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and others. These are connected to e-mail, text messaging, voicemail, and other media.

On the other hand, after attending many meditation retreats and a lot of meditation, I have also discovered that we are all connected by a network that is spiritual, personal and based on mindful speaking and deep listening. It is not digital at all, except in terms of holding hands.

Between June 15 and Sept. 2, I plan to take a break from the digital network and focus on the interpersonal network. During those 11 weeks, I will attend a writers retreat, a writers workshop, a writer-in-residence week, a writers conference and two weeks on the staff of a meditation workshop. I’ll also be visiting my sons. 

Although I will check my e-mail when I can and periodically update my blog, I plan to spend most of June, July, and August offline. So I will not respond to electronic communication as quickly as I have in the past. I will not be playing Words With Friends, Lexulous, or any other Internet games. And yet, somehow, I will still exist—I think.