In this era of overwhelming digital and electronic technology, we can all benefit from a day or more of unplugging and taking a nice break from technology. I personally enjoy and savor the sweet special moments I have connecting with Mother Nature in complete silence. When all I hear is the birds singing, wind rustling through the trees, the beautiful cries of sea gulls and rain, I enjoy a nice cleansing deep breath and smile with my eyes closed. I can enjoy the sweet special moment of just being and nothing else matters. Simon and Garfunkel's song Sound of Silence is very poignant. It's unfortunate, but in today's world of hustle and bustle, we humans have to set aside time to take a nice healthy break from our gadgets, our computers, our phones, all our electronic gadgets. I grew up in the '70s and '80s long before the Internet existed. I have to say that while the Internet is wonderful and a very helpful tool for my writing work and connecting with people across the globe via social media, I often feel overwhelmed. I'm very thankful for the great technology that helps me connect with wonderful people, but I don't like the stress it often causes, so I make a point of intentionally setting aside time, a day, several days, and pretending that the technology does not exist. I keep my phone in my purse for emergencies, but other than that, I act as if the technology does not exist and I give myself a wonderful gift of unplugged self-care. It feels so good to forget about the woes of the world and not care if someone emailed me or contacted me on social media. I give myself permission to just be and enjoy the simple healing beauty that surrounds me.
I especially enjoy and love the sweet special moments my dear husband and our four year old son enjoy together as a family and we love playing together and we enjoy being silly and playful together. When we cuddle with our two adorable sweet cats, our fur babies, we enjoy unplugged sweet moments then, too, and animals don't even know what technology is and they always enjoy just being. I know it's not easy to give yourself permission to unplug for several days, but you owe to yourself to give it a chance. Give yourself the gift of a self-care battery recharge. Sitting quietly on the grass or sandy beach, if you live near a beach, and meditating and taking gentle deep healing breaths and enjoying some gentle healing Tai Chi is wonderful healing self-care. It is a good idea to appreciate technology, but it's a good idea to not be attached to it. We all need balance and we need to give ourselves permission to enjoy just being and enjoy each moment. The beloved Dr. Wayne W. Dyer talked about this extensively. We are human beings, not human doings. The squirrels and animals and birds don't care about technology. Dolphins and whales don't care about technology. Part of being innocent and childlike is allowing yourself to simply enjoy just being and feeling thankful for the sweet moment and the sweet beauty and love.