This last week was a good week. A really good week, actually. School started off a bit rough at the beginning, as is usual after a break, but by the end of the week we were in a good rhythm again and that just delights my heart.
We really applied ourselves to getting into our well loved routines again this week after Christmas and New Year's. Simple meals, slow days, school, caring for home and hearts, and all the little things that make us thrive.
It's been 11 days since I closed all my social media accounts but it feels much longer. Time has seemed to slow way down while also proving to be so much fuller and richer. I knew this would happen, I had just forgotten the amazing affects of not being connected to the social media machine. When I closed Facebook almost 8 years ago, those first few weeks were riddled with a feeling of loss - some would even say withdrawal or detox. I thought I might feel some of the same things this time as well. I prepared myself for a detox period. The reaching for my phone to open the familiar app only to find it not there anymore. The feeling of emptiness or the urge to share something only to realize you can't. But I haven't found any of those things to be true this time, which has been a pleasant surprise to me.
I have found such a richness in the routines of home, the care of my children, the preparation of our meals, the beauty of our daily tasks, reading, baking, writing letters, and phone calls to close friends. I've had more undistracted time to enjoy and pursue all of these things so near to my heart. I had not realized the full extent of the distraction and noise social media was bringing to my mind and life.
I am very introverted and as much as I love hosting and having people in my home and being around others, it is very draining for me. I talked several times on Instagram about how I viewed it the same as I viewed hospitality, that I was welcoming others into glimpses of my home and life. As I began to ponder this, I realized why social media was so exhausting for me. It was like hundreds of visits with friends every day. I can only imagine how drained I would be if several hundred people just dropped in at my home for a bit of tea and a short chat every day! Not having social media has forced me to slow down and focus on the ones before me. It has made my interactions with others more intentional and has slowed down the stream of information into digestible pieces instead of feeling like I was drinking from a fire hose. I never knew what I was going to get on instagram. It could be a wide spectrum of things from someone selling something to a political rant. I felt accosted by lives, frustrations, news, positivity, beautiful photos, and horrifying events all at once. It was not a safe space for my heart, as I never knew when I would step on a land mine of explosive information or news and it kept me constantly on edge. I feel things very deeply and it was an emotional rollercoaster that did not serve how I want to live and be.
I think the feeling that has been the best for me is the feeling that I am approaching this area of life intentionally. I am in control of it instead of feeling like it is running me. I feel in the driver seat again instead of feeling like I am simply reacting to what is going on online. And you know what? It feels pretty amazing!