My Wild Saturday Night (#8)

The title of this post is deceiving.  My Saturday night was anything but wild. 

Now that I've gained an abundance of fame and am one post away from receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, I feel pressured to entertain the masses. Lol. I can't say that with a straight face. Even so, I do feel obligated to provide y'all with interesting content. 

What should I write about? Hmmm...
The storm last night?  Brian's thrilling allergy appointment? My guinea pigs' new herb diet?

Ha. Only kidding. 

I'm going to write about an old-fashioned concept: turning off your screens. Yes, that includes laptops, tablets, and any other electronic devices that you are a slave to every day. I'm not trying to sound preachy, but for heaven's sake....put your darn devices away. Look around. Pay attention to your mom. Talk to someone face to face. Learn how to crochet. I am fully aware that this is hypocritical, because I'm writing on my laptop, but hear me out. I am not saying this as someone who is above you. I, too, am not perfect.

To be honest, I've never been phone-obsessed. But now more than ever, I am hardly on it. Nonetheless, I am mad at myself for wasting so much of my precious time on screens. It's better late than never though, right?

I want to share some of the things that I have been doing in my spare time. Maybe it will help to ignite a true passion or simply kindle a buried talent or interest. 

• I am learning to play the ukulele. My musical talent hardly stretches past the recorder in the 3rd grade, however, I am tackling this wholeheartedly. I am getting informal lessons every week from the music therapist at my hospital. She is a saint. I'm channeling every ounce of her musical genius towards my musical learning. I've been documenting my progress, and I look forward to sharing it soon. 
• I am reading more. I have always loved reading, but recently it's been hard to find the time. What used to be my hobby quickly turned into a rarity once high school started and my workload piled up. Now that I have an abundance of time, I have learned to love reading again. I am currently re-reading Twilight. Yes, you read that correctly. I am re-reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book about falling in love with a vampire and befriending a werewolf. Ha.
• I am incorporating mindfulness into my life. Simply put, being mindful means being aware and living in the present. There is an ample amount of research that suggests that mindfulness can benefit everyone, and there are a gazillion ways to practice it. For example, I am now eating breakfast free of distractions. Instead of watching a video, I quietly eat my cereal in peace. Give it a try. I've also integrated mindfulness into my walks. I've been walking the same path around my neighborhood for 10 years, but only recently have I started to notice the red house around the block. I must have passed it by a thousand times, but only now have I noticed its vibrancy. It's so cool how much more aware I am of my surroundings. 
• I played with a garden hose in my backyard yesterday. Doesn't take much to make me happy. Drenched head to toe. Not a care in the freaking world. Here's proof:

The point of this article is not to bash you for being on your phone. My objective is to kindly encourage  you to put it down every once in awhile. Put it away when you're interacting with family and friends...when you're eating...when you're bored...when you're about to go to bed. It might be hard at first, but you must fight the urge to reach for it. You don't need it as much as you may think you do. Whatever is on your phone can wait. The endless possibilities of things right in front of you can not. 

All my love,
Lia