10 Things I’d Rather Be Doing Than Giving In To Screen Addiction

1. Yoga.  As of this writing, I am on Day 15 of 30 Day Yoga Journey with Adrienne.  I am seeing an increase in self confidence, and my left-knee arthritis pain is non-existent .  My doctor told me I needed cortisone injections a month ago.  I looked those up online, and there are severe side-effects to these treatments. 

2.  Writing and drawing on paper with pens and pencils.  I write daily morning pages a la Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way”, a classic book often used by artists to unblock our art.  I consider music, acting, drawing, painting, dancing, and writing all to be art.  I also make, promote, and sell my own handmade artist’s greeting cards.  I have made and sold over 100 of these in the past 4 years.  (An Elephant Worthy Story Yet To Be Written!)

3.  Volunteering.  In the recent past, I have picked up trash in my neighborhood, cuddled kitties at Siskiyou Humane Society Animal Shelter, and made it a habit to go to Sunday Mass, pass out Avon catalogs and samples, and sell my handmade artist’s greeting cards on the streets and at the gatherings of Mount Shasta, California, my beautiful town.  

4.  Reading books and papers at the library.  We are blessed with a City Library that’s open 6 days a week, 6 hours a day.  That’s quite a lot for a Rural Library!  It carries the San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, O Oprah Magazine, and yes, even a technology section.  I seriously need to help them upgrade their computer code how-to books.  We have a special program where patrons can order new books on Amazon, and have the library system pay for them.  The usual library rules of timely return and care for materials apply, of course!  

5.  I walk or bicycle into town quite often, not having or affording a car or even a California Driver’s License!  Google says that the care and feeding of a car costs many hundreds of dollars per month.  That’s food and rent money, for me.  I am saving the Earth from more pollution and myself from gaining weight by walking everywhere when a bus or a ride with a trusted driver aren’t options.  Thank God for my feet and legs!   

6.  Teaching myself computer code.  We have such things as Udemy for $10 per month, and Code Academy, which now wants to charge me a monthly membership.  I tell myself my most frequent white lie, “I’ll get around to it ONE OF THESE DAYS.”  Everything online runs on computer code!  I have several computer code books on my shelf, awaiting that futuristic day.  I have too many projects yet to finish, and only so much time and energy to spare. 

7.  Cooking.  When low on money, or trying to save up for The Next Big Thing, such as a trip somewhere exotic, I experiment a lot in the kitchen!   My latest project?  Vegan baking.  My food is healthy, tasty, and vegetarian plus mostly vegan.  Chronic asthma forced me to change my diet.    It also makes me sad to think of all those animals being abused and slaughtered in the most egregious ways.  I only eat turkey on occasion, because I need Vitamin B-12, which is only found in animal products.  Dairy foods irritate my lungs.  I now consume little dairy. 

8.  Painting.  I never did completely assemble that wooden easel.  I spent $150 on it 2 years ago!  Mail order.  I know of the existence of Adobe Illustrator and Corel plus other artist’s software.  I prefer to work with paper, pens and pencils, and canvases plus acrylic paints, because they’re relatively cheap, good, and don’t run on a battery.  

9.  Making love!  The erotic life.  Hopefully with a real human lover someday soon…. Screen addiction is a national problem, and real life mostly happens off-screen.  Intimacy involves a lot of friendship, shared adventures, touch and hugs, and talking with each other, not AT each other.  Definitely, families friends, and couples all should shut off and put away their smartphones during meals and dates, as well as Masses and movies or live performances.  Technology should be used to unite, not divide, the people.  

10.  Shopping in an actual shopping mall.  Nearest one to me is a 2-hour, 36-mile STAGE bus journey North.  As a successful artist in a small town, I can’t let Amazon eat everybody’s lunch!  Healthy, happy shopping involves supporting local Mom and Pop stores, as well as local craftspeople, musicians, farmer’s markets, and so forth.  Not everything is going to be corporatized, thank God.