Log Out.

It has been about 4, going on 5 months since I have discontinued the use of all social media platforms. All except Pinterest because… get real.

The Why:

We all know how much of a distraction a phone can be. From constant notifications to the urge to express ourselves at the exact time we feel something. According to an excellent TED talk I listened to recently, scientists are starting to consider the cellphone as an “external part of our brain.” Many of us no longer give ourselves time. Time to reflect on our feelings before the social media rant, time to be bored and let that stillness guide our imagination, or time to be curious about the world without the constant need for entertainment.

Many of us won’t even look up. You know what sucks? Being in an excellent mood and smiling at a stranger… only to find that they looked up for 2 seconds and thought you were being weird.

The distraction also prevents you from the small ways to acknowledge our children. There was a FB post about a year ago about a mom who put her phone down for an hour and tallied how many times her children looked to her for guidance, acknowledgement, and some sort of affirmation. The number was huge. All those opportunities missed to build up my littles.

REALITY: Knowing that, was not enough for me to put the phone down.

I didn’t decide to log out until a friend of mine posted a FB rant about hating the fact some people can’t just enjoy the moment and over-post their fake perfect life.

OUCH. This didn’t hurt in the way you would think. It didn’t hurt because she appeared to have called me out. It hurt because my life isn’t perfect, but it’s great. Why would you think it’s fake?

The people close to me know my joy and my struggles.

HEART-CHECK.

How others perceive my life to be- is none of my business.

My story isn’t meant to be celebrated nor criticized, by all.

So, I logged off.

Life Now:

Since November, I have played so much Monopoly! I used to hate it, even though I  never really played it, but i’m pretty badass. I also started the 2017 reading challenge, I’m up to 10/30 books, yay! And…We’re going to Disney for Spring Break! The girls have no idea!

Overall, this journey has allowed me to let go of the pain that comes from watching other people live their lives, without you. I stopped making it so easy for people to be apart of my life without any real work.

I’ve been putting in work…towards my mothering, my marriage, my friendships, and myself. Only good things can come from that.

I miss y’all!

Ro