Hudson Valley Astrologer

If I had a problem getting “unplugged,” I would throw a vinyl copy of Eric Clapton’s UNPLUGGED on an old time phonograph and listen to it in analog. If 60 minutes wasn’t enough to refresh and rejuvenate my spirit from the barrage of information and noise that assaults us all on a daily basis, then I might throw on Peter Gabriel’s US, and listen to Digging in the Dirt on repeat, or Dave Matthew’s Busted Stuff album and listen to Digging a Ditch, over and over again, the way I did when I learned to play it. But getting unplugged hasn’t ever a problem for me. I read. Write and study.

Reading, writing, and studying take up such a massive amount of time that I don’t really find myself getting lost scrolling or surfing the internet. I found that behavior addictive, but also quite boring and have become more fascinated in being a creator than a consumer. I follow some incredible accounts with only a fraction of the followers that some lame brain “influencers” have, but I find their content sincere and interesting. However, I cannot claim to understand social media. What other people find interesting baffles me. I’m thinking about one particularly radical and polarizing figure with a million and a half followers. He drivels on about how smart he is and masterfully manipulates his view points to build and expand his audience. He bores me with his high mindedness and so I am not one of his regular flunkies sucked into the vortex of his vanity. The incredible accounts I follow, let’s call them the “uninfluencers,” post fresh, honest, and heartfelt commentary that I can relate to… which gets me thinking that just maybe we don’t need a million followers…

My real difficulty is finding a way to PLUG IN, not unplug.To do that I respond to these prompts everyday just to practice writing and to work at making writing a personal daily habit.

A few years ago I had Digging a Ditch down pretty well on the guitar, and could sing along with the chord changes. I suppose that the process of writing and singing a song is the next level above blogging, a way to creatively transport the mind and spirit to a state that feels “unplugged.” Not sure why I ever stopped playing, because it is such a fulfilling exercise, even if the only one who ever listens is the one who hears that proverbial tree felled in the forest.

HVA

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