An analog existence…
I deleted my Facebook app,
and Instagram too.
I left my accounts untouched and my feeds un-scrolled.
I didn’t even check the news.
As my screen time dropped by 75%,
I looked at everything that fell to the floor with it.
Comparison.
Discontentment.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Expectations.
I remember standing in my kitchen, moving boxes all around me
(yup, we moved again. I’ll tell that story later.),
with a cup of coffee in hand,
feeling ironically overwhelmed
at how just one week off of social media
left
me
feeling
light.
I grabbed a pen and paper, jotting down analog existence.
“Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
-Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
That morning I prayed for a more analog existence. Is that a silly thing to desire in our digital age? Absolutely not. Was I ready to throw out my electronics and start churning butter? No and yes. Did I light a candle and snap the above picture on my iPhone after wiping up some tears? Haaaa, yep. But oh my goodness, how intentionally I picked up my phone to take this picture. I texted it to a friend and sat it back down. I picked up my coffee and found my half-filled journal still packed away from two moves ago. I dusted it off and journaled some thoughts and intentions that ultimately changed my life the past 6 months. Those thoughts and intentions turned into tangible ways that I begun pursuing an analog existence.
|| instead of catching up on IG stories when waiting in line. I dared to make small talk with those around me.
|| I’m a note-a-holic. Instead of adding to the 486 notes in my iPhone, I grabbed a pen and paper. And while I’m thinking of it, excuse me while I make a note on a note to remind me to order more notes because my toddler scribbled on each page in my last notebook…
|| instead of decompressing with my social media feeds and the news (barf), I began settling in with a cup of tea and a book. I’ve finished 5 books in the last 4 months.
|| instead of bookmarking or pinning my favorite recipes, I wrote them down on real paper. Maybe it’s me, but something about pulling out a splattered and tattered handwritten note while preheating the oven.
|| rather than checking a friend’s IG story to see what they are up to, I’d send a text. It takes @only7seconds to check in on someone and see how they’re doing. It take only a few more seconds to pray about them as they cross your mind.
|| instead of watching a show or listening to a podcast while I clean, I’d invite my toddler to “help” me. Lord knows that takes a considerable amount of attention and cannot be done while listening to the latest CrimeJunkie episode…
|| rather than stressing out about news from the other side of the country, I learned about local politics, how to get involved, and voted. I rejoiced with those rejoicing around me and weeped with those weeping around me. I learned that my heart and mind is not strong enough to process all the “news” at my fingertips.
For most of 2020, I thought I should be strong enough to bear all the pain and suffering that I read about. In a way, I thought I was weak if I looked away or “took a break” from the news.
I have been learning more about who God created me to be so I can live to the fullest of my authentic self and,
as badass as I like to seem sometimes,
I’m highly sensitive, hopelessly optimist, and easily overwhelmed.
For me, taking a break from social media and the news was life-giving.
If you are like me, it will be life giving for you too. If you’ve been wanting to “go off” social media or even take a break from your phone, let this be your kick in the pants. Take the time to pray and ask God to open your eyes to the people and “news” around you. Press into your local community, greet your next-door neighbors, and check in on your friends whose feeds are perfectly curated but hearts are worn and tattered. I did all that, started a blog, learned how to make sourdough bread, developed routines, and broke bad habits. I loose my phone infinitely more than I use to… and I don’t mind it one bit.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the efficiency of technology. I just think there is something raw and human that I had lost somewhere along the scroll. Certain things take me more time now, but I don’t mind. In fact, I welcome the extra effort. I wasn’t created to be efficient. I was created to take up space and time, to be creative, to grow, to leave something behind, and take something into the Kingdom.