#100 days of honesty Day 83: Phone silence and real activities

I switched off my phone for the afternoon because I wanted to read a bit and go to the gym later. Now I realize from the other side what I did to others earlier that just because there is internet and there are smart phones nowadays it does not mean that you want to talk just at the same time when someone reaches out to you. And it does not mean that you do not like the other person.

With smartphones and wifi everywhere reachability has increased although sometimes it feels so nice to be private and alone. It is almost a given that we expect from family members and friends that they can be reached all the time which should be more like an option not a must. 

Of course I am not speaking here about having read a message and not answering for it for a month. But I think it is very important to acknowledge that it is your right to have off times every now and then and you do not have to explain it if you don't want why you have the need to be alone. Or if you have some people close to you who you interact with on regular basis you can inform them possibly that you won'tbe reachable via phone during the next couple of hours so they don't worry if they call you and can not get through.

Two days ago I posted about that Italy excursion and the book which I am planning to re-read during upcoming weeks. And I found an other book by the same author which was his own Italy-travel diary. I would like to read that too.

I am a big believer of having local experiences and taking time instead of rushing through cities and places. I still remember those Italian pastries for example what I ate with my coffee before going to see the famous David statue. Or the evening I walked from Santa Novella station in Florence to my accomodation which was couple of streets away from Duomo. When I arrived the bells of Duomo just started to ring and it made me remember an other December night one year earlier in Berlin when I had a similar experience. When the church bells of Gedächtniskirche started to ring just as I was crossing the square in front of it heading to my hotel.

This week I was also thinking about the importance or unimportance of real time photography or shared moments in general. I am happy that I have many memories what only very few people know besides me. 

About photography: I love to take pictures - in a way I understand my surroundings better this way. On the other hand sometimes I put down the camera intentionally and stop for a while and switch completely off. When I am travelling I am taking photos constantly. Sometimes I am in the mood to post them on the same day, while sometimes it takes weeks after the trip to look them through. This is why I like photo exhibitions, albums, webpages. That more individual pace what those require fit my way of seeing the world better now.