My ideal vacation includes a nice view, an air conditioner, and an internet connection. Not that I want to work, but I feel more comfortable staying on top of things and in-the-know. I’d never considered a phone being part of the equation, because I’d never considered my phone being out of my pocket. Even without service, it is a wifi safety net that allows you to randomly check in when a signal is available.

This past week, I was untethered. I left my phone at a motel in Childress, Texas.

The first four hours were filled with anxiety. I couldn’t figure out where my phone had gone. Was it in the car? Was it in my dad’s car? Had I left it at breakfast, was it still in the hotel?

Luckily, I had the “Find my iPhone” app installed on my phone… unfortunately there is very little 3G service between Childress, TX and Colorado [I’M TALKING TO YOU NEW MEXICO]... and even worse, my app wasn’t set properly [THANKS TO THIS GUY] so it didn’t help anyway… Technology, had failed me.

After several calls to the Holiday Inn Express, Rhonda had located my phone (apparently the cleaning crew had found it, but hadn’t yet reported it to the front desk… funny). Anyway, we made grand plans for her to send my phone to Colorado. I gave her the address, lots of praise, and let her know how she had saved the day, eased my anxiety, and restored my sanity.

The phone never showed up.

Rhonda was going to send the phone on Monday morning from her other job at the bank. We never discussed details, but I figured I’d probably have it back by Thursday… Friday afternoon the panic started to build again.

Turns out the new manager wasn’t going to let Rhonda walk out the door with some customer’s iphone… This means it was still hanging out in Childress, in the vault, at the Holiday Inn Express, 600+ miles away.

At 4:45 yesterday my iPhone was finally back in my hands… and it didn’t feel all that special. Sure, I was glad to have it back, and catch up on a bunch of text messages, and play some Words with Friends… but I realized I hadn’t missed out on all that much.

Going a week without my phone or a constant internet connection forced me to think in a different way. Instead of anticipating what was new and next, or refreshing the headlines, or watching emails come in… I was able to think, to process information, and to make connections that I wouldn’t normally give myself time to make.

I’ve always been a proponent for feeding your brain (and I still think that is hugely important to coming up with new thoughts)... but you also have to give yourself time to process those thoughts, allow them to marinate, and to connect and play with each other inside your head.

So in the end, I want to thank Rhonda for finding my phone, keeping it safe, and keeping it away from me for a week so I could think without interruption. Turns out that in a pinch, I’m ok without it.