After nine days of inactivity - even the guy of the repair shop in town told me to give up on it and buy a new one - my smartphone started charging again, today.
I was so inactive though in the family 'Wazzup' chat ( and not for the first time, as my phone has been acting up several times in the last year or so) that my twinsister, who lives in Portugal, couldn't stand it any longer and offered to buy me a new phone.
FYI: She finally has more money than me and I have helped her out loads in the past - also financially - but it's still quite sweet of her.
This gesture alone shows that it's worth not giving in to temptation ( getting another phone ) too soon.
Whenever my phone was playing dead ( the longest stint lasted around three weeks ), I tried to not feel too bad about not having a functioning device and to just be more focused on 'real' life, offline. Being more present. More in the now.
It sure helps to have a huge garden with plenty to do...
I did feel a bit cut off and isolated though ( both from Hive and non Hive friends and from my family ) and it's not like 
But the time off ( aside from some limited scrolling on a semi-retro Nokia 'dumb'phone ) also made me stronger and mentally calmer, in a way.
It is a bit like detoxing from caffeine, sugar, alcohol and the like. Hard at first but getting easier, after a while.
Anyhow, I am back online and back on Hive, more frequently.
I had to make do with short moments on my laptop in a bar, a couple of times per week..
Hive is one of my biggest addictions. Reaching 9 years in June.
My name is Vincent and I'm a Hiveaholic
and I am not afraid to admit that
Also, as you can read in the title of this post, Clare and I have returned to camping on our land, a week and a half ago. Spring has seriously started and we sleep a lot better in our tent than in our unfinished, not entirely waterproof house. This ( not sleeping in it ) also makes it easier to work on the building and we can finally use it for other purposes too.
Anyhow, excitement is in the air :^)
More on that in Clare's most recent post.
I intend to share a lot more frequently.
Let's pray that my phone keeps charging until I get another device ( thanks to my sister ).
Sending good vibes from our beautiful homestead in Molise, Italia, where even muddy shoes can't stop me from smiling...
