Gray and Me - I love this kid.
Last week I took a break from blogging and (most of) social media so I could enjoy time with Grayson, our college son who was home for spring break. We didn't have any big plans, but as I suspected, we stayed up too late watching movies and talking, and I didn't feel much like retreating to the office to write a post each night. And although I didn't specifically excuse myself from Facebook and Twitter, I pulled back enough to realize just how much I enjoy life without being tethered to my phone.
I was reminded to breathe.
To inhale deeply of each present moment, and choose to exhale freely with contentment.
Funny how easy it is to "forget" the one thing that is supposed to be my focus for 2013....breathing. Life gets going, the calendar gets filled, and my mind gets occupied with stuff that really isn't all that important
Ooh, a new follower on Twitter.
Ooh, I better answer this email.
Ooh, a comment on my blog post.
Ooh, a cute cat video on Facebook.
Ooh, a link to an article on (fill in the blank).
Ooh, a text from Suzy.
All of it seems so impatient for my attention that I become a victim to the demands of the media streams that fill my phone, laptop and office computer. Checking in becomes a habit that interrupts conversations and thoughts and devotions and stillness.
I forget that I need stillness. Quiet. And so do you.
Today's Small Thing is to set your social media aside for one solid hour.
Can you go two hours? How about a whole morning? A full day? Now, that might be scary.
Emails, chats, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest....it's all good, it's all fine. Really. There's nothing wrong with any of it.
It's just that the online world can creep in and expand to fill the spaces that we need for quiet. The spaces that we need to leave empty so that we can hear God speak, or listen *uninterrupted* to our child tell a story, or notice the color of the evening clouds.
It's in the quiet that we find ourselves and learn to breathe again.
If you're "playing along" with me this month for a chance to win a sweet couple of prizes, take some sweet points like these for intentionally unplugging:
For those who aren't playing for points, go ahead and challenge yourself to this task as well. Let's swim against the tide and be in control of media, instead of the other way around. Set your phone aside, close your laptop, turn off the monitor...just for an hour.
Let's breathe today.
Tell me: how do you manage media? Do you struggle to set boundaries? Do you have some tips for creating boundaries? I hope you'll share.
