Bathing suit…CHECK
Toothbrush…CHECK
Sunscreen…CHECK
Phone…WHERE IS IT???
We were rushing to catch a flight to Florida for vacation. But this is not about sunny Florida, this is about a lesson. We were rushing out the door and I had misplaced my phone. My husband, son, and I scoured the house to no avail. What I think really happened was God whispered in my ear, “Nestle your phone in your closet on the stack of bed sheets so you will have no chance of recalling what you did with it. I have something to teach you”. So away I went without my phone. For five days. Before I continue…phones are often a blessing and I am grateful for the connections I have on social media. But prior to my forced separation from a gazillion technological distractions, I sensed that roaming in the hinterlands of social media had become an unfulfilling habit. I was right. This is what happened.
1) I read two whole novels in five days. I had allowed the ease of numbing out to override my love of the written word. Agreed, it could be a lot worse. The dangers of Facebook and Instagram, PBS, and Netflix do not hold a candle to shooting up heroin. Nevertheless, I confess I had given them permission to rob me of something truly nourishing.
2) Without my phone camera at my fingertips, I actually observed and appreciated my surroundings. I was able to let go of the grasping mindset that can take hostage the pure enjoyment of images.
3) I sat in restaurants and truly tasted my food, people watched and thought about our blessings. I admired my handsome husband.
Not that I don’t normally experience these treasures, but there was a freedom in going phoneless. The benefits were more numerous that I can relate in this space. I hope by the time this is published I will have continued to cherish opportunities to truly feed my soul.
As always, I invite you to join me in an exercise in self-awareness. What might be distracting you from living the life you want to live? There is no shame in surfing the web, but if we look up, the here-and-now has a lot to offer.