How Long Could You Survive Without Screens?

In this modern world, could you survive without computers for an entire day?

My very own mom asked me that question when she read my latest story, Technically Speaking. My response? “Yes. If I were off in the woods. In my house it would be difficult!” Our home is pretty gadget-heavy, with at least a dozen devices connected to the wi-fi at any given time. Little House on the Prairie, we ain’t.

In the story, a couple bets each other that they can’t go a whole day without looking at a screen. The winner will choose the couple’s next vacation; the loser will pay for the trip. The stakes are high, and so is the difficulty, when they realize how dependent they are on devices.

There’s a lot of me and my husband in this story. He’s the gadget guy; I’m the Luddite who pooh-poohs new gadgets at first, until I realize how extremely freakin’ useful they are. Honey, I may have to be dragged into new technology sometimes, but I’m grateful to you for keeping me up to date. Without you, I might still have a flip phone and a mobile plan that charges for each text message.

Thanks, Fiction on the Web, for awarding the story “Pick of the Month”!