Staying Out of the Loop
I got up early this morning to have my coffee on the porch before the rest of my house woke up. My intention was to start reading a book in preparation for a new podcast interview, but I picked up my phone instead to check my emails, and then I started what my kids call “the loop.” I scrolled through Facebook, then Instagram, and then back to refresh my email account again just in case something new got delivered to my inbox. I was deep in the loop when I finally looked up from my phone. Twenty minutes had easily passed. I put my phone down and said a prayer and asked God for forgiveness. I had wasted this sacred time looking at the local traffic report, someone who looks like they have a better life than me and a bunch of ads trying to sell me the promise of having more so I can feel like my life is better than the person who made me feel less than, to begin with!
For as long as I can remember I have been getting up in the mornings before my family to have time for prayer, reading, and reflection. It has been a lifeline of hope, connection, and spiritual growth that has changed how I feel about myself and how I interact with others the rest of my day. I know how important it is to my wellbeing because the days I miss this time for myself, nothing feels right. Somehow, I feel detached from my body; anxious, and I find myself looking outside of myself for things to fill up my insides.
Be Here Now
My morning practice helps keep me in the present moment. I am reminded daily that everything I need is already here. I am full on the inside, so I don’t need to go somewhere else to fill myself up, especially with mindless scrolling in the dreaded loop!
A wise person once said to me, “be here now, be somewhere else later.”
The now is the only place I can be. And when I am not right here in this moment, I miss the tiny hummingbird or the fly buzzing around my head saying, “come back Pam, pick up your head, you are missing the beauty all around you!” I put down my phone and look up and give thanks for the butterfly who just arrived and for the morning light peeking through the kelly green leaves of the giant trees gathered in a circle around my porch.
I remind myself that everything I need is already here.
Today, I invite you to be aware enough to stay out of the loop—then perhaps when you set down your phone this summer you can go find beauty in nature.
Books to Get You Started
To get you started, below are a few books that have been inspiring my quiet time this summer. Try not to rush through them…savor a little bit each day and be on the lookout for finding beauty and then notice how your life might be shifting towards more happiness.
1. The Gratitude Jar - A simple guide to creating miracles.
2. The Practice of Finding - How gratitude lead the way to enough.
Simple, joyful, fun.
-Pam xx