George, unplugged

Whoa. Nine days since my last entry. Didn't mean to take so long a break, but one day turned into two, then three and before I knew it, I found myself all out of words and without a single good excuse.

It would have been far better had my absence been intentional. For example, if I'd planned a break in keeping with the thinking behind "Sabbath Manifesto," as described by Carrie Sturrock, who writes on sustainability for The Oregonian.

ReBoot, a nonprofit aiming to reinvent the cultures, traditions and rituals of Jewish life, is questioning our modern-day connectedness, whether it's to people or the planet. It just launched a project called Sabbath Manifesto aimed at "young, hyper-connected and frequently frantic" people of all denominations. The idea, whatever a person's spiritual beliefs, is to turn off the iPhone, stop updating Facebook and nix the tweeting one day a week.

Now, I'm neither Jewish nor young, although I'd say I'm "well-connected" rather than "hyper-connected." And I will plead to "occasionally frantic" if enough work and personal e-mail piles up, rather than "frequently frantic." So, of course, I could stand to spend less time on the computer, just enjoying the fresh air (especially a weekday lunch in the park) or connecting with friends and family in person or on the phone.

But I also recognize that people's communication habits and preferences have changed quite a bit in recent years, so that sometimes it is harder to get a person on the phone than it is online. And there's no substitute for a blog post or a group e-mail to reach lots of people at once. Of course, you never know how it's received or exactly what it will take to provoke a response.

Bottom line: I enjoy blogging. I wouldn't do it if I didn't. And I enjoy hearing from others, whether it's regularly or infrequently (hint, hint to those who read but don't comment).

Some parting words from Carrie Sturrock and her April 2 column, "Reduce your impact with a day to rest, relax and unplug."

In Jewish tradition, the Sabbath runs from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. In many Christian traditions, Sunday is a day of rest. Whatever the ideological or religious underpinning, a day of rest gives people time to reflect and slow down.

"People have hit a tipping point in their lives where technology has taken over so much that they're ready for something like this," says Tanya Schevitz, a spokeswoman for ReBoot who lives in Texas and is a former newspaper colleague of mine. "We're so overworked and pulled in so many different directions. We're desperate for something like this," she adds.

Sabbath Manifesto came about in the spirit of the Slow Movement (i.e. Slow Food), according to the Web site, and was created by people who while not particularly religious, wanted to slow down in a world that's increasingly fast.

And, finally, a link to my colleague Susan Nielsen's most recent column, "Internet addict: Pour me another round of e-mail."

Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen, The Oregonian