I sit here at my computer after a very long week and think what was my life like before I had a cell phone with apps on it?
I remember being creative. Almost every night I would keep myself from sleeping because my mind would not stop thinking of beautiful ideas. My own ideas. Not other people’s ideas. I would have to get out of bed and write all of these ideas down in a notebook just to calm my mind for the night.
My house was cleaner. Every week I cleaned my home. I had a schedule I followed. I had cleaning supplies waiting for me. A set time to start and a set time I ended. Then I would reward myself by watching a movie or special TV show.
I read a lot. I journaled a lot. I exercised every day. I loved to sing.
I talked to people on the phone, for hours at a time and I always answered when it rang.
My husband and I would dream and plan and talk for hours about our future.
I would start a painting or DIY project at 9:00 at night and go till after midnight. I did the same thing with canning and preserving. Night was the best time to can.
We went a lot of places. Visited a lot of people. Went to church. And we shopped! At a mall, or from a catalog which we combed through and marked with sticky notes.
I ran 4 hours of errands every single Saturday from 8 am till noon. I actually really miss that.
I gardened, still do, but boy did I obsess over it. Being outside was everything to me.
I cooked every single meal. Eating out was very special and fun.
I washed my dishes every night and got my clothes ready for the next day and packed our lunches.
I walked every night after dinner before and after my son was born.
I always had a project to work on, I always had a game to play at the ready, I always had a goal. I always had an idea.
I will tell you this, every single day now I roll out of bed and the very first thing I do is look at my phone. Not stretch and put my feet on the floor and open the shades to see what the day will bring.
Every day I look at my phone and I do not find what I am searching for. Never. What am I searching for?
Me. Every day I search for me.
Here’s to putting down your our phones and finding ourselves again.
-MM
The Professional Domestic 
Well said Mary Margaret! My first cell phone came from work, so it was actually not the most positive thing for me, which I think has made a huge difference in how I handle my phone now. It sits on the counter where the land line sat unless I am teaching (but that’s so I can see if there’s someone texting to ask for an online lesson because of sickness.) I do spend too much time on my iPad, so I have begun to leave it upstairs after supper, at least until I have done some handwork. It is amazing how these devices steal our time away!
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I do agree it has changed our lives significantly but I can’t say I was never hooked to a machine before. Smart phones have “freed” me in some ways as I use to have all I wanted on a big heavy computer instead of my pocket, and socialising or multi tasking is much easier for me now than it was 15 years ago. There are days however where I regret having the ability to doomscroll useless videos or posts and I need the willpower to use it only for specific things I chose to look for
best of luck taking more of a digital break!!!
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