It's funny how we (or I, at least) like to call this 'multi-tasking'. I can do 10 things all at once, look at me go! But then I have this strange desire to live more simply - to slow down, enjoy each moment, be thankful for everything. It's hard to do that when 'everything' means not actually stopping to focus on any one thing for more than a few short seconds.
I'm not sure when life started to get like this; I definitely think the social-media age has a lot to do with it. We can tell the world what we're thinking, feeling, seeing, doing, at any hour of the day in an instant. And we can find out the same from others. Email provides us with a way to communicate quickly and efficiently from our computers, phones, tablets, etc. without having to actually talk to people, and - God forbid - engage in conversation. Don't get me wrong, these technological advances can be blessings, but goodness knows they are easily abused.
I like being able to be so connected. It's such a cool thing to be able to see what's happening in my friends' lives that live thousands of miles away, or to see that other people get how I'm feeling, via the validation of a 'liked' status - you don't feel alone.
But back to that craving of simplicity. I'm not the only one. It's everywhere. Look on Pinterest, (since we're all on there right now anyway): 'Stop the glorification of busy' and quotes by Mary Oliver: 'What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?' are re-pinned countless times a day, I'd wager. Ironically, I'm pretty sure Ms. Oliver wouldn't have answered her question with: "I'm going to pin things!"
This has been on my mind a lot lately because I find myself consistently gravitating towards distraction. Graham is having a clingy day and finally goes down for a nap? Yes, quietness, and I'm just going to sit here and look online for a bit...an hour...oh crap, he's up. Or, I've had a long, busy day at work, made dinner, played with, bathed and put Graham to bed, I just want to relax. And by relax I mean drink a glass of wine and watch Downton Abbey. These things aren't bad, when done in moderation (as with most things in life) but when they start to become habit, well, I feel like I'm wasting parts of my 'one wild and precious life'.
We do it with our kids too - let's just put on this TV show so I can get 'x' done, or, during the lovely curious stage our son is in - 'Where is your...fill in the blank?" Again, sometimes needed (I would like to get dressed, you know) but what am I teaching him if this becomes a normal thing? I'm teaching things like 'If you're upset, it's best to just divert your attention than take time to deal with what you're feeling and learn how to deal with it". Deep, maybe, but he's smart, I promise you. He'll catch on quickly, and when he's 15 years old and not 15 months old, the habits I'm displaying and modeling now are going to show up on full display.
So how do I, how do we, as a culture, deal with this? I could just go offline, sure, and force myself to 'live simply' in that way, but that's like saying 'I'll avoid alcohol because I might drink too much'. It's putting rules up where, really, discipline is what's needed, not abstaining. And that's it, I think. Discipline. Training my mind, my habits, my actions to be intentional, purposeful, 'weighing down the moment' as Ann Voskamp so beautifully has said. Learning that, while some things are better left in the past (like acid-washed jeans...see this post), some things weren't so bad. Things like having to be at home if you wanted to use the phone to make plans, or physically see people to learn what happened in their day/week/month. Things like community.
And some things - like blogs, or forums, or groups, can be a way to purposefully act that out; I know I've met some wonderful people I wouldn't have met were it not for the online community! But, on the flip side of those wonderful things, if we were meant to know what a ton of people we kind of know, or used to know, or do actually hang out with, are doing, and thinking, and planning, etc. at any second of our day, I feel as though God would have created an avenue for that at the beginning. But He didn't. He created everything - He created US - with purpose. To have families, to take care of the world we live in, to work hard, to enjoy creation, to take care of our homes, to grow food, to live in community - real community. And I know when I take time to do those things - even if they seem tiresome, or take effort, or require actual focus - I feel more like a person, like the part of me that God created to be alive and to know Him and to reflect Him that was lost in the garden is back, and flourishing, and I'm energized!
I made a list tonight of things that I honestly love doing - things like like fire pits and gardening and antiquing and family Saturdays and dancing (and OK, wine made the list, it did.) Every single thing on that list was purposeful, focused, and involved personal interaction or purposeful solitude. What didn't make the list? Things like TV, spending time online, pinning. It helped to put into perspective that while those things are enjoyable to a certain degree, they don't even compare to what truly brings out the life God has intended for me to live. A life full, vibrant, tiring-yes, but in the best way possible. So what am I going to do with this one wild and precious life?? I'm kind of excited to find out!
I'm not sure when life started to get like this; I definitely think the social-media age has a lot to do with it. We can tell the world what we're thinking, feeling, seeing, doing, at any hour of the day in an instant. And we can find out the same from others. Email provides us with a way to communicate quickly and efficiently from our computers, phones, tablets, etc. without having to actually talk to people, and - God forbid - engage in conversation. Don't get me wrong, these technological advances can be blessings, but goodness knows they are easily abused.
I like being able to be so connected. It's such a cool thing to be able to see what's happening in my friends' lives that live thousands of miles away, or to see that other people get how I'm feeling, via the validation of a 'liked' status - you don't feel alone.
But back to that craving of simplicity. I'm not the only one. It's everywhere. Look on Pinterest, (since we're all on there right now anyway): 'Stop the glorification of busy' and quotes by Mary Oliver: 'What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?' are re-pinned countless times a day, I'd wager. Ironically, I'm pretty sure Ms. Oliver wouldn't have answered her question with: "I'm going to pin things!"
This has been on my mind a lot lately because I find myself consistently gravitating towards distraction. Graham is having a clingy day and finally goes down for a nap? Yes, quietness, and I'm just going to sit here and look online for a bit...an hour...oh crap, he's up. Or, I've had a long, busy day at work, made dinner, played with, bathed and put Graham to bed, I just want to relax. And by relax I mean drink a glass of wine and watch Downton Abbey. These things aren't bad, when done in moderation (as with most things in life) but when they start to become habit, well, I feel like I'm wasting parts of my 'one wild and precious life'.
We do it with our kids too - let's just put on this TV show so I can get 'x' done, or, during the lovely curious stage our son is in - 'Where is your...fill in the blank?" Again, sometimes needed (I would like to get dressed, you know) but what am I teaching him if this becomes a normal thing? I'm teaching things like 'If you're upset, it's best to just divert your attention than take time to deal with what you're feeling and learn how to deal with it". Deep, maybe, but he's smart, I promise you. He'll catch on quickly, and when he's 15 years old and not 15 months old, the habits I'm displaying and modeling now are going to show up on full display.
So how do I, how do we, as a culture, deal with this? I could just go offline, sure, and force myself to 'live simply' in that way, but that's like saying 'I'll avoid alcohol because I might drink too much'. It's putting rules up where, really, discipline is what's needed, not abstaining. And that's it, I think. Discipline. Training my mind, my habits, my actions to be intentional, purposeful, 'weighing down the moment' as Ann Voskamp so beautifully has said. Learning that, while some things are better left in the past (like acid-washed jeans...see this post), some things weren't so bad. Things like having to be at home if you wanted to use the phone to make plans, or physically see people to learn what happened in their day/week/month. Things like community.
And some things - like blogs, or forums, or groups, can be a way to purposefully act that out; I know I've met some wonderful people I wouldn't have met were it not for the online community! But, on the flip side of those wonderful things, if we were meant to know what a ton of people we kind of know, or used to know, or do actually hang out with, are doing, and thinking, and planning, etc. at any second of our day, I feel as though God would have created an avenue for that at the beginning. But He didn't. He created everything - He created US - with purpose. To have families, to take care of the world we live in, to work hard, to enjoy creation, to take care of our homes, to grow food, to live in community - real community. And I know when I take time to do those things - even if they seem tiresome, or take effort, or require actual focus - I feel more like a person, like the part of me that God created to be alive and to know Him and to reflect Him that was lost in the garden is back, and flourishing, and I'm energized!
I made a list tonight of things that I honestly love doing - things like like fire pits and gardening and antiquing and family Saturdays and dancing (and OK, wine made the list, it did.) Every single thing on that list was purposeful, focused, and involved personal interaction or purposeful solitude. What didn't make the list? Things like TV, spending time online, pinning. It helped to put into perspective that while those things are enjoyable to a certain degree, they don't even compare to what truly brings out the life God has intended for me to live. A life full, vibrant, tiring-yes, but in the best way possible. So what am I going to do with this one wild and precious life?? I'm kind of excited to find out!
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