Checking Out

My friend Haley recently spent a week without social media.  She saw that it was becoming too much of an influence in her life.  Her focus wasn't where it needed to be and she made a change.  Maybe to some of you, that seems like the easiest thing in the world.  But for A LOT of us, it's something we don't know if we could do.  Even though I wasn't the one giving it up, her strength made me step back and take a look at something.

How dependent are we, as a society, on our phones?  Or on social media?  Or on our "devices" in general?  I know that I am guilty of being attached to my phone pretty much 24/7.  And if it isn't my phone, I'm probably on my computer (I'm aware of the irony that I'm writing this blog on my computer....).  I sometimes think about when I was in high school, when all of my friends were getting phones, and I remember being so jealous.  I wanted so badly to have one, and now that we ALL have them, I'd give anything to go back.

When Chris and I go out to dinner and I look around and it is amazing to me how many people aren't even looking at the people that they are with.  They are too busy looking at their phones to really connect with people around them.  And I know that I'm guilty of doing it.  It's become a habit to just grab my phone.
Sometimes I want to just check out of all of it.  There is SO much more to life than a phone, a computer, Facebook, Twitter. So why can't we all put away the devices?

                                                       

My favorite day of the week is Sunday.  I know that so many people like Fridays, because it means the end of her work week.  Or Saturdays because it's the first whole day that they can just sit around and do nothing....or adventure and not have to worry about work.  But growing up, Sunday has always been my favorite.  It was always about God and family.  After we got married and moved, our weekends are so often about running around to see our families and Sundays are the day that we concentrate on spending time with each other.

Another thing about Sunday...I like being able to put my phone to the side and spend a day not completely connected.  I get to check out.  I'd love to have the strength to go a week without social media, but I can't.  It is my way of staying connected to the family/friends I don't live near and so yeah, I see the positives of it.
But I know that we have got to start being more in check with the things going on around us!  And the people around us.  So next time, you are sitting down to dinner with your family, put the phone to the side....

Next time you want to spend 4 hours checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., just remember that there is an entire world surrounding you.  Just look up.  Go outside, read, go for a run, go visit with a friend or family, whatever you need to do to make sure that for a while, you have taken the focus away from your phone, and maybe eventually we as a society, won't feel so attached to an electronic device!

This post was a little different than the norm, but it's been weighing on my mind and I think it's important to discuss.  Remember the really important things, your phone isn't one of those.

See you soon!

XOXO.