A Month Later

It's been one month since I put down my cell phone, and here's what I've learned:

1. A watch is a wonderfully useful device. I can check the time and not be bombarded with notifications of 8 emails and 5 texts.

2. Carrying a book on me is priceless. I can't believe I ever stopped bringing my book to waiting rooms in lieu of scrolling through my phone.

3. The anxiety we may feel when email after email from our boss rolls in is self-inflicted. Yes, there are many jobs where you need to be on top of your email at all times. Thankfully, my jobs do not require this. There isn't anything that can't wait a few hours. 24 hours of accessibility is something we have brought upon ourselves, and only we can reverse it.

4. You know what was happening when I was staring down at my phone over a month ago? Life. Kids wanting to show me a crocus peaking out of the leaves. Dogs wanting a scratch under the chin. The beauty of afternoon sunshine filling my kitchen, waiting to be appreciated. Now that I've regulated myself to only looking at my cell a few times a day, I am present. I am here. I'm taking it all in- the good and the bad- and not hiding from it behind my phone.

5. My expensive cell phone is also my camera, and I'm not going to feel badly about grabbing it to snap a photo here and there, as long as it doesn't completely interfere with the moment. It's great to capture an experience, it's not great to ignore the company of everyone around me because I'm engrossed in documenting every single thing.

6. If I feel like posting something to Facebook once or twice throughout the day, it's ok. I can do that, and walk away without scrolling through my newsfeed. The two do not have to go hand in hand. Facebook is one of the places where I chronicle my life, and that's not a bad thing.

7. I am schedule-oriented. If I tell myself I'm putting the cell down at x o'clock and not looking at it again until x o'clock, I can do that. My friendships have not suffered, I have not suffered. Nothing but good has come out of self-regulating.

8. Leaving my cell behind became more and more natural as the weeks went on. I didn't think twice about leaving it in the car when we visited friends last weekend. I was there to visit, and if there was a moment when I wasn't engrossed in conversation, I didn't need to take my phone out and swipe through it until someone wanted my attention again. What used to be considered completely rude has become commonplace. I want to teach my kids another way.

I've officially broken free from my "pacifier", and it really is freeing. There's no way I'm going back to the way I was before. I don't think it's coincidence that many more blog posts have come to mind in the past month. Simply put, my mind is now actively engaged in this beautiful world around me, and inspiration is there.

I can't wait to share it with you.