TAKING SOME TIME

It's so important in life to take some time  for ourselves. We all need to take a moment to sit back and relax with a good book, some knitting, a glass of wine or even all three. But I find that these days it is getting so much more difficult to do so. We are constantly plugged in and available. Our phones now reside on our hip, or in our back pocket, providing us unlimited access to email, calls, texts and the web. I personally have made a point now, of photographing my husband every time he needs to take a work call when on vacation, or at the beach. Not to make him feel badly, or that I am annoyed with him in any way ( although to be honest I can be at times ) but I am doing this as a chronicle to the ever increasing pressure of always being on. Having these photos really drives the point home. As we scroll through pictures we have taken after a great holiday or a lovely day at the beach, inevitably a photo will pop up of my poor husband, taking a work call as he strolls through the sand in his flip flops. And instead of the relaxing smile that should be on his face there is an expression of deep concentration or stress.

My husband is certainly not the minority in this circumstance. It's just the new way of the world. But in my opinion I think it is a huge problem. I watch our youth of today text each other instead of having a conversation. I have seen people walking down a busy city street, with their heads down emailing or texting and walk right out in traffic. I have had people stop in mid conversation to scroll through a new email or text that just came in, as if it couldn't wait but a few moments.

But it wasn't very long ago that we survived with out all these devices. We were able to leave the house with out a phone and unplug from life for awhile and relax. We had the chance to take in the world around us without those distractions. As kids we were able to go out without our parents being able contact us at any moment. Those were good times.

Now I'm not writing all this as a protest against technology or the wonderful things it provides for us. I love having a cel phone, and a blackberry and all the wondrous things these devices provide. But I just feel that we need to step back and away from them at times. Turn off that phone, breath deep and take in everything around you. Be able to stand in the forest and hear the birds and the wind through the trees instead of your newest ring tone piercing that incredible silence.