Today is Global Day of Unplugging—an initiative created by the Unplug Collaborative to encourage entire communities to take a break from technology. Their goal is to help people gain a better understanding of the role technology plays in our lives so that we can be better equipped to establish healthier tech habits going forward.
Read MoreEvery Tuesday morning I receive an email with an intriguing writing prompt from my writing mentor, Laura Davis. I always respond to them in my head, if not on paper. A while back, the prompt was, “Write a letter to a great, great, great, great grandchild, or to another child living far off in the future. Impart your hard-fought wisdom about what truly matters in life.” My response surfaced at lightning speed: “I hope you’re not spending your life glued to a screen.”
Read MoreToday is my 58th birthday. Reflecting back on the past year, I feel extremely grateful for many things, especially the birth of my beloved grandson, Elián, who turned ten months earlier this week. Also topping my list is the new ritual I established exactly one year ago today during the height of the pandemic, when I gave myself the birthday gift of a full day offline—a much needed break from my screens, as well as from the relentless avalanche of bad news.
Read MoreTaking a full 24-hours away from technology helps us gain more awareness about our often-unconscious habits and attachments while giving our brains and nervous systems a much-needed rest. It reminds us that recharging ourselves is more important than recharging our phones and helps us establish healthier boundaries with our devices every day so that we can experience more calm and peace in our lives.
Read MoreFor most of my life, one of my greatest pleasures was gazing up at the stars on clear, dark nights. As my eyes adjusted, I was always mesmerized by the countless new points of light that kept magically appearing as time went by. I never tired of communing with such vast, mysterious splendor.
Read MoreMy birthday was last Thursday, and one of the gifts I asked my husband for was to support my wish to go the entire day without hearing any news. I hadn’t taken a full break from the news since February, and I was long overdue!
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