I love technology. I go everywhere with my iPhone in my pocket or know exactly where it is and keep it charged. I love Facebook and Instagram and access to knowledge and news at my fingertips. I love taking pictures (probably way too many) and playing games and texting and chatting. I like my To Do list readily handy in my Notes app, and I love that I have EverNote to keep track of all my big ideas. And my calendar is with me and easily updated every time a new event is created and bells and reminders go off to remind me of my appointments.

Basically, I love being connected and knowing what’s going on in the world and making memories.

But this week, I unplugged from technology and connected to my family and nature and simplicity and being in the moment.  I took a blogging vacation and a real vacation too. 

We went away and went camping with no internet or cell phone access. I didn’t have an agenda. I didn’t have a plan and I was free to be. I flowed with whatever came my way and with whatever the group wanted because I was just happy being out in nature with family and friends, that I didn’t need anything.

I loved this, even though I did miss blogging every night and checking Facebook and reading other blogs too.  But I loved the freedom that came from not checking a screen every few hours or feeling obligated to connect with the world outside my immediate circle.

I loved the freedom. I loved the feeling of being untethered and free from the distractions that social media and the news presents. I loved that the kids were away from screens too. I didn’t worry and didn’t want for more. I was loving the memories we were creating together and that my mind was free to think and relax and just be.  I wasn’t multitasking which is actually liberating.

Here I Am.

That’s what this story is about – being in the moment and enjoying life as it comes and trying not to take myself too seriously and to stay focused on the gifts versus the challenges.

I enjoyed watching my kids run free along the river, fishing with their Opa, paddling and kayaking with their cousins and friends, hiking and rock climbing and seeing the crystal clear stars from the meadow at night.

We shared a few breakfasts and showers at Oma and Opa’s trailer. We had soft serve ice cream from the Bear Den before lunch, slept in and went to bed late, ate s’mores and read books, told jokes and played games and sat around the campsite and on the beach.

We bonded. We played. We laughed. We saw bears and deer and chipmunks and snakes.

We relaxed. We shared meals. We worked together side by side. We took care of each other. We cooked for one another. We took each other’s kids on adventures and we loved it up. We even visited a ghost town together, called Bodie, if you want to look it up.

We celebrated a double digit birthday with trailer decorations, presents, cards, homemade ice cream cake, songs and candles.

We had a change from our routine and a break from technology that we all needed. I loved it and missed it all at the same time. I liked that we all weren’t distracted though. I didn’t have to ask anyone to look up or to put their screen away or to turn it off. I didn’t have to nag or monitor time. This was truly a gift.

I have to say I am happy to be connected again and am still working on a backup recovery for my lost photos. The kids are back to enjoying their videos, games, and social media too connecting with their cousin friends and family too. For now, that’s ok. That is what is comfortable to us and it’s summer time – a time for flexibility and fun. And tomorrow we’ll go outside and play again and create more fun memories and take more pictures, I’m sure.

I am content and thankful and I missed you! I hope you had a good week, and if you haven’t tried unplugging lately, I highly recommend this gift to yourself.

Namaste