You guessed it (since it might be yours): Facebook.
I’ve almost deleted the app a bunch of times. You know what stops me? You’re going to laugh. Well, I guess there’s 2 things. The first thing that has stopped me every
time is when it says “if you delete this app you will delete all of the
data.” It’s a freakin web based program! I know my stuff won’t be deleted! But every time, I kinda panic and hit cancel
instead of delete!!! Ridiculous!!! The second thing that stopped me was that I
liked being able to share photos so quickly and easily. That is full of good intentions. But, why worry about sharing them with 400 of
my closest friends at the moment of impact?
Shouldn’t I let the moment of impact, impact me more deeply?
But today, this fine, rainy, cool summer day, I am taking
the leap and I am deleting the facebook app from my phone.
I am pretty sure Rachel Macy Stafford was speaking directly
to me in her 12th and final chapter.
When she uses language like, “This week, protect time with loved ones by
creating barriers between you and your distraction (186).” How do you like that one?
"Daily distractions have a sneaky way of stealing time- that rare and precious commodity that once we lose, we never regain. Every time we get online to check email, social media, or search the Internet, suddenly a large chunk of time disappears. Is that really how we want to spend our precious time? By removing the temptations of the phone and Internet, you will receive the gift of time- time to laugh, time to love, and time to live for what most matters in your life (186)."
How about this one- “Turn off all notifications on your
phone (186).” Or just stab me. Same effect.
That’s just insanity.
I’m pretty sure notifications are directly linked to the oxygen I
breathe. But, fine Rachel- I’ll try this
vintage parenting thing. Vintage
parenting, vintage relationships, vintage LIFE.
Rachel, it was so much easier agreeing with you when you
didn’t give me literal, tangible assignments.
“Perhaps the simplest yet most effective strategy I used to permanently
abandon my highly distracted life was changing the notification settings on my
phone (186).” Well, that sounds… really
easy. Why didn’t I think of that…. Maybe I did, and I was afraid… of paralysis. Chances are if you are reading this, you may
feel that separation-from-devices anxiety as well. And we have a great camaraderie, us that use our phones way to much.
Well, it’s gone. The sky
didn’t turn dark, the ground didn’t shake, my heart is still pumping blood, and
the air does still seem to be full of oxygen.
Maybe I can do this whole vintage life thing after all… Or, I guess, it's probably just called "life."
Ohhh boy.
This is as far as I've gotten...
It's GONE.
Yes, I know I could delete the contractions app. But it has all my data from starting labor with Andrew, and I just can't part with that. Ha!
(Before I send this into the webernet, I should mention that
this is my journey, and I am not intending for anyone to feel like I am
guilting them in any way. I’m just
trying to evaluate my life and the relationships with who matters most to me,
and it seems as though I have been devoting a lot of time to someTHING, rather
than the someONES. Blogging is a great
way for me to get my thoughts out in a tangible way, and share with anyone who
might give a care. It’s as inward as it
is outward.)