Happy Fall Y'all!
(Y'all is my new favorite word. Now that I'm in possession of a Carolina driver's license and a subscription to Southern Living, I toss it around like confetti.)
So... how y'all doing? What y'all up to? Y'all enjoying sweater weather and harvest moons... and pumpkin spice everything?
Blooming mums, football games, gooey s’mores, changing leaves, trick-or-treaters... these are a few of my favorite (autumnal) things. But you know what I'm really looking forward to?
A fall break.
I've decided to stop drinking from the firehose of digital content flooding my phone/computer/tv around the clock (or Apple watch, as the case may be) for a few days. (Or weeks. However long it takes.)
It's time to get a handle on my media compulsion. Mitigate my overconsumption. Do some intermittent fasting. Get clean.
Let me explain.
Recently, I found myself tapping the cover of a book I was reading. To "wake" it up. Like I do with my phone.
Mercy me.
That may not seem like a big deal to you but it kind of freaked me out. And I realized I need to pull back... or power off altogether. For lots of reasons.
One, I'm just tired.
Tired of the constant clamor and claptrap. (Most of it’s crap anyway.)
Two, lately I've given more attention to my texts/ emails/ socials than the people in the same room with me. Ugh. (And ugly.)
Three, I'm thirsty for presence.
Time to quiet the cacophony of 4 billion keyboard conductors... so I can hear the voices in my life that really matter.
And especially that one (still, small) voice.
God's.
In the words of Jesus:
"I am the good shepherd... My sheep listen to my voice..." ~ John 10:10, 27 (NLT)
But most days, most of us... miss it.
Because we're too busy giving screens our undivided attention.
(What on earth could be more important than listening to Jesus?)
Fingertip tech is - like so many other things - a blessing and a curse. A useful device and a terrible distraction. It connects us... and isolates us.
It gives us directions... and causes us to lose our bearings somehow.
It gives us a sense of control... and makes us digital addicts.
Every-waking-hour media druggies. Brain-rotting by day. Doomscrolling (and sleep-disrupted) by night.
Ding.
Buzz.
Zzzzz...
The truth is, most of us rarely unplug or power off. (Heck, we bristle at having to switch to "airplane mode" for a couple hours.)
gut check
Alerts come at us 24/7/365.
Some are smiley-face-heart-eyes-confetti-and-cake happy texts. Birthday messages and pizza promo codes and cute puppy videos.
Others are work emails and MyChart messages and billing statements. (All unavoidable… and requiring action. Ugh.)
And then you throw in the can of worms commonly known as social media…
The running commentary on FB/X/Insta/Snap/Tok doesn't offer much insight. It mostly just incites. If you're looking for a heaping pile of harsh criticism, complaints or judgment, you've come to the right place. Public humiliation available to all... in the comfort of your own car/ cubicle/ condo.
We've all been forewarned about the bad boys, mean girls and predators. But what we've done - unwittingly, of course - is invited them into our daily conversations and personal space. (Oh joy.)
We all get the garden-variety hassles, sure. Notifications about late fees, product recalls, cancelled meetings, missing assignments.
delete
delete
delete
But others strike fear in our hearts:
Biopsy results.
Emergency alerts.
Crisis calls.
Our constant connectivity is creating a sense of urgency (and yes, anxiety) that we struggle to shake.
Ding.
Buzz.
Gasp!
And in an effort to minimize our panic... some of us just disengage. We scroll, sigh, shrug. We watch from the sidelines and remain uninvested and uninvolved... (even when doing so could be harmful to others).
Are those the only options?
Perpetually panicked or utterly apathetic?
Sunday (M/T/W/Th/F/Sa) Scaries... or Zombie Apocalypse?
(Cue the eerie sound effects... and the wicked laugh: Mwahahaha!)
Maybe this is a nightmare.
STAY WOKE, PEOPLE.
Stop scrolling and swiping and typing... and...
Put.
The.
Freaking.
Phone.
Down.
Listen. Engage. Respond. Relate.
Face-to-face... in real time.
Get your groove back.
(And your LIFE too.)
In the words of the uncannily clever Anne Lamott:
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes... even you.
Power off and power nap.
There's a handy little setting on your phone:
Do not disturb.
Perhaps you haven't discovered it yet. Well, today's your lucky (life-changing) day.
Activate that sucker.
Or better yet...
Unplug altogether.
Quiet the clamor and soak up some heavenly peace.
There's a powerful scripture that begins with two little words.
Be still.
It's not a friendly suggestion or self-help step. It's an explicit instruction from your Maker.
Be still...
(There’s more. It’s a two-part directive... feel free to keep reading: Psalm 46.)
Be still...
Linger there awhile. It'll do your body, mind and spirit good.
Be still.
Do you hear that?
It's the rare, sweet sound of silence... and solace.
Do you sense it? Peace.
Soak it up, friends.
And be well.
Wendy
P.S. Thanks for reading. Now... unplug, for heaven's sake.
Over and out.
