I needed a break

You may have noticed something missing if you were perusing Facebook, Myspace (wait! I don’t even HAVE a MySpace page!), Twitter or whatever this weekend. You don’t know what it was? ME.

I went to my hometown to visit the parents, see the nephew, hang with my brother and sister-in-law, and pick up my dog. And I decided it was the perfect time to unplug from all things technological and give myself a break. It also helped that because Southeast Missouri is strange, my Sprint phone really didn’t work all that well.

The result of the little experiement? Sometimes, it’s good to take a step back and remember the simple things. Sometimes, it’s just good to unplug. I’ve talked with various friends about our shared hatred for those people who can’t seem to get off the phone while at the gym, in the elevator, and have a conniption fit when they discover they’ve forgotten their phone at home or otherwise can’t use it. And I love Facebook, my phone, and all that stuff as much as the next person, but sometimes, it’s good to just be still. To be quiet. To sit in the living room of the house where you grew up and read a book while your dad pages through a magazine and know that you don’t need to say anything, that no one expects you to perform, to be in charge, to do anything other than just be you. It’s good to see your nephew’s smiles and laughs and hold his chubby hands. It’s good to ride in the car with your mom and have those conversations you don’t get to have all too often anymore. It’s good to turn off all the things that shift your focus and pull your attention from the things that are really important. The simple things, like smiles, shared memories, laughs, quiet moments, God and His love.

So, every once in awhile, dear readers, unplug from all the things that pull at your attention and remember what’s really important. You won’t regret it!