There I was lying in the sunshine on the outside lounge last Sunday trying to get some rest. My phone kept buzzing and my mind kept racing thinking of all the things I should be doing. And then I sighed and realized that I didn’t even know how to rest well. Inhale, exhale, breath in and out.
We’ve been trained to go, go, go and to accomplish as much as we can in as short as time possible. I mean I get impatient if my computer takes longer than 6 seconds to load a page! We’re always on. Now days most people don’t even turn off their phones at night.
Yet as I tried to relax on Sunday I began to realize that being able to turn off sometimes is really important. We need to figure out how to just be. At least I do. Do you know how to just lie down and look at the sky? I hurt my back really bad last week and I wasn’t able to sit. I had to stand up or lie down and since I was hurting lying down was the best option.
Since I turn my phone off every night I decided to leave it off for the next day even though I wasn’t able to do anything. Yes, I was tempted to look at social media or text friends. Instead I stared at the ceiling and felt my heart beat. Later I moved outside and as I watched the pure blue expanse above me a hawk drifted into view. It soared simply by being. It didn’t flap its wings for minutes at a time as it floated on the wind currents.
With my phone off and lying on my back I rested. I disconnected and unplugged and it was so peaceful. My mind wasn’t racing and I simply was able to notice what was going on around me. It made me think of this beautiful quote by Anne Lamott. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
When was the last time you unplugged even if just for a few minutes? We’ve come to view rest and simply being as so negative in our fast paced, instant world but I think we’re missing out on the actual living part a lot of times.
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” John Lubbock
Are you always feeling like you’re running? Do you feel like you can’t turn your mind off from feeling like there’s always more to do? Maybe just unplug your phone and stay off your computer for a bit and go lie in the grass. You won’t miss anything important on your phone but you might miss the important aspect of rest if you don’t unplug every now and then. Maybe if we’d just stop flapping our wings so much we’d actually soar.
“Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we’re too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.” Steven Spielberg
P.S. Hey friend, want more encouragement in your life? I’ve started a Dear Wednesday encouragement crew and if you’d like to be a part of it (and not miss out on the Wednesday post!) make sure to leave your email below or sign up here! I’m excited to send you mail on Wednesday!
Elaini, this is spot on!!!! Our culture drives us SO HARD its insane!!! So sorry to hear of your sore back (I’d heard from a mutual friend of ours yesterday when I asked why you weren’t with the rest of us). But if it has as a side benefit getting you to unplug and just BE ELAINI then it is not a total loss!! The Word commands us to “be still, and know that I am God”. Almost as if we cannot KNOW He is God until we can push aside all the “noise” and “business” we keep handy… in which to easily hide!!!
One of my favourite ways to unplug is to get out on my road bike….. taking a few hours a week to just get out and ride is a good way to unplug from everything (with the side benefit of keeping me healthy and strong) Riding time is liberating… nothing to DO except enjoy the ride, think, mull things over, or simply relax and let the countryside drop behind me as I ride along some creek, over a hill, through a prairie……. besides it is impossible to talk on the silly cell phone whilst riding!!)
Heal up quickly, Friend!! And keep the helpful insights coming!! Your posts are often so thought provoking!!
Aww thank you so much!