5 days without a phone, and holy crap, it's almost Sept. 1

I might as well have been naked the past five days.

I was phoneless.

It's an isolated feeling to think that no one could get in touch with me in the rare moments when I wasn't connected to a computer monitor, which wasn't very often thanks to my work computer, laptop and home desk top.

But still, there were moments.

Moments like covering a city council meeting Friday night. While the council was in executive session, my sister's boyfriend urgently Facebooked me via my laptop that I needed to call my sister ASAP. Despite my urgent requests ("is this really serious?") he assured me it was and so I tracked down the cell phone of the city secretary and placed frantic phone calls to three family members before my sister finally called me back.

They wanted to know if I could grab a beer with them later.

I had to use a non-work land line for the first time last night to put my people in place to cover a fire. That was a first in a freakishly long time.

And then there was the problem of an alarm clock. I paced the floors trying to figure that one out. I thought of winging it, but that's never a good idea. So I googled alarms and actually found one online. It woke me up.

I typically average about 3,500 sent/received text messages a month. I received/sent not a one the past five days.

As disconnected as I might have felt, the silence was a nice break and made me think that when I got my phone back, perhaps I need to establish boundaries. Is it absolutely necessary that I receive email notifications from art guilds at 1 in the morning? Most likely not.

Of course, there's a nagging urge in the back of my mind, what if that one email you need while traveling down the road comes in and you don't get it until minutes/hours later, and by then it's too late?. If that wasn't a reality, I wouldn't be worried, but it's happened.

And so I invariably stay connected to my phone, my email, and cranked my laptop open this morning at 6:46 after my 6:45 alarm went off. What did I miss? What needs my attention?

But, does it always need my attention?

I probably need a rule. No electronic devices before 8. If something's blown up or burned down, someone can call me. I will answer. But getting sucked into the cyber world before I've brushed my teeth or put on my glasses is probably not the best lifestyle choice.

So yes, I felt naked without my phone. I feel like I have my pacifier back, but I'm going to adjust my usage.

Or should I say dosage?