For the past few years, I’ve lived with no Wi-Fi, no television channels and no streaming services. Just me, my family, my library and the outdoors.
When it first happened, I’ll admit, it wasn’t some planned digital detox. Life just shifted that way. With unreliable and over priced internet service for our rural area, the shift happened rather easily. We decided to go without the internet and save the money and stress of it all. What started as “temporary” somehow turned into years.
At first, it felt strange. You don’t realize how much you rely on the internet until it’s gone. But in a few short weeks, something unexpected happened. I started to enjoy it.
The quiet that comes with disconnection. Without the constant noise of TV shows and streaming services, my life got quieter. Slower. Simpler.
Day’s weren’t filled with binge watching shows and fighting over download speeds and gaming options. Instead, I’d pick up a book, tend to the garden, or just sit outside listening to the wind or the kids laughing. I can’t even explain how peaceful it was to not feel that “ping” of urgency every few minutes or the mind numbing noise of constant connection.
Some nights we would put on a DVD we had seen a hundred times before or sit side by side reading through the various books that line our shelves and just be. Those little moments of stillness started feeling like luxury. I realized I didn’t actually miss much of what I thought I needed online. But I fear I am the only one.
Friends would talk about new series or movies I hadn’t seen, and I felt a little disconnected like I was living in a slower version of the world. But at the same time, that slowness taught me patience, presence, and gratitude for simple things and I honestly didn’t mind being left out of it.
The more the LGBT stuff was being shoved into our faces in TV shows, movies and even children's cartoons, the more I appreciated the lack of access to that content my children had at home. Even the most involved parents that monitor everything their little’s watch can't keep it all at bay when you're connected. We have been buying DVD’s to watch as a family and made the mistake of not pre-watching a Disney cartoon. Sadly that movie ended up shoving the LGBT lifestyle into kids faces and making it “okay” and essentially urging kids to give into sexual urges and sin.
Fast-forward to today: the internet is being installed again. As our kids age up in school it is becoming a requirement that they have access to the internet at home for their school work or be marked as incomplete. No matter the affordability, accessibility or desire to be connected it is now being demanded for their educational access. So here we are, I have had to surrender in an effort to comply with the public school system in order to keep my kids from being held back. As I’m sitting here waiting for the internet technician to arrive and install a service I really don’t want to have to pay for, I feel defeated. How can a public school system require this? Why can’t their work be printed out and turned back in? Why must it all be done online? Even elementary school spelling tests have been being done on computers. When will this madness end?
With the state of the world and everything available to anyone connected to the web nowadays, I am planning ahead and this time, I’m doing it differently. My husband has already mentioned adding a streaming service once we are connected. With that idea in his head I have already begun my research into streaming services that I feel will share our values and help keep our children safe from viewing so much sin in movies and TV that most people no longer bat an eye at.
We are after all, trying to change our ways to intentionally live more Christ-like lives. The following list are some options I will be looking more into and reading reviews for before we decide on one.
Angel, Pure Flix, Living Scriptures, Minno, Redeem TV
There are more along with a wealth of information and resources here
I have been testing out Redeem TV this past week via my phone with their app. This service is FREE and relies on donations to make and supply more movies and television series based around Christian beliefs that so far have been safe for kids to watch. There are shows that are meant for adult couples to watch without kids and those have been clearly marked. Not off limits to kids because of what they show but because of topics discussed such as marital subjects mentioned in order to show a Christian way of resolving common issues with couples. “Cabin 6” was one of those short movies I recently watched on the app. It was cute and did touch on things that can force couples apart or bring couples back together.
I don’t want to lose what those internet-free years taught me:
~Stillness is powerful
You don’t always need background noise or a screen to feel content
~Presence matters more than connection speeds
The best conversations happen face-to-face, not through notifications
~Slowness is not a setback
When life moves slower, you notice more like the way sunlight hits the kitchen counter, the sound of rain, the laughter from another room , or the quiet from the little’s that sets off the alarm bells to know they are up to something (he he he, no, just mine?)
I want to bring that same mindful energy into this new chapter and to use the internet as a tool, not a distraction.
What I’m looking forward to is streaming documentaries and cozy shows again. Sharing more of my story online without relying on the WiFi at work to upload or this tiny phone screen to type this all out on (like this!). Most of all demonstrating and helping my boys learn and create with intention using the tools we have available.The difference now is perspective. I’m not chasing endless updates, I’m choosing connection with purpose.
As I anticipate watching the little WiFi symbol light up today, I can’t help but smile. It feels like the end of one season and the beginning of another. Living without the internet taught me how to slow down and find peace in simplicity. Getting reconnected reminds me that technology, when used mindfully, can enhance life and purpose not replace it.
So here’s to balance. To quiet nights and streaming days. To learning when to unplug and when to plug back in.
After years offline, I’m finally ready to reconnect both digitally and with life itself.
Tell me, Have you ever disconnected? If so, how did it benefit your life? If not, Would you?
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