Skip to main content

Working from home

I took today off from work, but I wonder if those of us connected to -- dependent on! -- technology ever really take a day off? I use a Motorola Q and have a built-in WiFi card on my laptop. So, although I officially took a day off, I am still connected, responding to e-mails, working on projects, etc.

There are sometimes days in the office when I don't physically see fellow employees because we comminicate virtually either through e-mail or an internal communication system called "HUD Fonality." So, is it any different to be connected from 2 miles away? From 2,000?

I have really tried -- on a few rare occasions -- to simply check out. I had a wake-up call once when Ethan wanted me to be outside with him while he rode his bike. At one point, he peddled up to me and said "Daddy! I want you to watch me -- not that thing!" I had been "doing e-mails" the whole time thinking my mere presence was sufficient. It wasn't. And it isn't. I need to work on ways to disengage from work and technology so I can engage in being "with" my family rather than just being around them. There is a difference. And I struggle with it.

He went from crawling to a trike to a bike in the blink of an eye. Maybe he did it while I was checking e-mail.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Your points are great here I have always wondered if I need to log vacation time when I am working on my vacations or days off. My tone for emails and texts are from ESPN sportcenter and one day at the AA baseball game they had a "highlight" and used the same music and my son looked at me and said Daddy your phone is going off. I also learned quality time versus quantity time when I got divorced, I now try to make memories everyday.
January 16, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is wrong with us! A lot: Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria

This morning, from 10:30 to Noon, at St. Lukes in Meridian Idaho, I participated in the “Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria Support Group” started a year ago through Idaho State University. We meet weekly.  So, what is wrong with us? Aphasia is the name given to a collection of language disorders caused by damage to the brain. A requirement for a diagnosis of aphasia is that, prior to the illness or injury, the person's language skills were normal. The difficulties of people with aphasia can range from occasional trouble finding words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write, but does not affect intelligence. This also affects visual language such as sign language . The term "aphasia" implies a problem with one or more functions that are essential and specific to language function. It is not usually used when the language problem is a result of a more peripheral motor or sensory difficulty, such as paralysis affecting the speech muscles or a general hear...
Post a Comment
Read more

Phantom Blindness and Taking a Break after Strokes

I met with my eye doctor last week about taking some time off from my vision therapy. I have been doing therapy since my stroke almost two and a half years ago. I am tired, and a need a break. My doctor said, “This is completely understandable. Take some time off.” At the appointment, my doctor tested my vision. Because of the strokes, my vision was affected, and I have a problem in my field of vision on the right side. I have a deficit with my right side peripheral vision. However, it is getting better. During the test, I told him that I “sense things on the right side of my peripheral vision.” It seems that I know that something is there, but I cannot really distinguish what it is. He told me that there is a body of thought describing phantom vision or phantom blindness. A Polish researcher, L. Bieganowski, described this phantom blindness this way:    “The subject of the paper is the phenomenon of phantom vision. It occurs among the blind (or almost blind...
Post a Comment
Read more

Anonymous Blogsphere and my strokes!

It is hard to believe that my strokes happened almost two and a half years ago. Sometimes, it is a distant reality. However, most of the time, this is a vivid and startling reality even now. When I wake up in the morning, I have to realize that this is NOT a dream. So, how am I doing? It depends. I continue to be grateful for my recovery. Every day, I know that it could have been so much worse. On the other hand, I still have invisible deficits. I participate in many stroke support groups because, until you have a stroke, no one can really understand the ramifications of strokes, recovery, and deficits. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have insightful information about “Life After a Stroke.” Their website is http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stroke/lifeafter.html The intro says “ The time it takes to recover from a stroke varies—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, while others have long-term or lifelong...
5 comments
Read more