Disconnecting to Reconnect

Sounds a bit like an oxymoron, right?? But I think I need to disconnect to get reconnected...with myself, my family, my husband and my life. OK, so you're probably wondering where this all began. The past few days, I've been feeling a bit restless and honestly, a bit disappointed in myself. I've gotten a little lazy around the house, a little lax with the kids and just a little...dismayed. I wasn't enjoying things like I used to. Then it hit me. When was the last time I made a big, homemade meal? A loaf of bread? Created a photo collage or decorated a room in my home?? Too long ago, that's when. I have a restless, antsy, busybody personality and doing things that are productive, even in small ways (organize a junk drawer to relax, anyone???) keeps me calm, centered.
I LOVE being a stay-home mom, LOVE being with my hubby and kids and love taking care of my family. I just haven't been doing that much to show it. The times we live in contribute to a general malaise that has swept over our country like a bad flu. This 'anything at your fingertips, instant gratification' world we live in has caused an epidemic of selfishness, ingratitude and impatience because we are being bred to believe that we can have it our way, 24 hours a day. I mean, I don't even have to leave my house anymore if I don't want to because Amazon Prime will deliver any item I need overnight--with free shipping!
So recently, I've been on a mission to get out of my doldrums and do you know what the prescription for that is?? Getting busy! You must have a dream to stay hopeful, a purpose to feel purposeful or else...we simply atrophy, concede to the notion that it's just easier to go ahead and get take-out again, to let the kids watch another hour of TV, to zone out on social media and see what our "friends" are up to rather than sit on the porch with our neighbors and actually talk!
Well, I've found that for me, the more there is to distract from the good white meat of life, the more I end up consuming a junk-food diet. But not anymore.
Today, while on errands with my family, my husband received a group text from a co-worker about what he was up to on his day off. My husband and I were befuddled. Why did he feel the need to reach out on his day off to tell the people at work, whom he sees four days a week, what he was up to?? What's wrong with this picture? Why do we feel the need to capture a selfie on our phone of what were doing, eating, playing, just to post on social media instead of just...capturing the moment? So we had a crazy idea. What if we get rid of our cell phones and order up a good 'ole land line?? No more interruptions, no more distractions. Yes, this will make roadside assistance and googling good restaurants on the fly a little more difficult, but maybe it's time to go back to planning ahead, seeing friends face to face and getting more done in a day. I know that when I leave my phone at home, it frees me to notice the small things: the way the breeze rustles the leaves on a tree, the smell of grass in the air, the sounds of birds chirping...all the beautiful music God intended for us to listen to in the first place. Join me. Find ways to disconnect from electronics, social media, screens and reconnect with the things that really matter. I'll let ya know how it goes!