Live now, post later

When was the last time you went 24 hours without checking your email, checking your Facebook page, or reading through Twitter? For me, it's been literally years...that is...until this past weekend.

Jason and I spent Thursday through Sunday in the mountains of North Carolina for some quality R&R. As it turns out, it ended up being some pretty intense resting and relaxation for me because I had no access to my phone. The power would turn on, but I got absolutely no service within about 40 miles of where we were staying. I knew that I might not get service at the lake, but I didn't realize I would only get about 5 minutes of service for the entire trip.

I have to admit that at first it was kind of frustrating. The first night we were there I realized how much I grabbed my phone just to scroll through the never ending thread of messages, photos, and dialogue that are normally at my fingertips. I found myself starring at the same pictures on Instagram that had been posted before my phone lost reception.

After that first night of withdrawal, I actually felt an overwhelming sense of freedom in being disconnected. Email could wait. Texts could wait. New photos could wait. Twitter could wait. My blog could wait. Everything could wait until Sunday.

Jason had limited service, but enough so that he could text and do a little bit on the internet. I borrowed his phone a few times so that I could track my food and exercise in myfitnesspal since I'm determined not to let anything get in the way of my journey to living well physically. I also texted my family a few times from Jason's phone just to let them know I was alive. But other than that, I was radio silent, and it was awesome.

I honestly believe that we miss a lot in life because we're so overwhelmingly captivated by a screen. We're so wrapped up in what everyone else is doing that we're unable to live in the moment and thoroughly enjoy our life without anything holding us back. Sometimes, even when we think we're genuinely enjoying life, we decide to make those special moments our content rather than just experiencing them "for real". We get so entirely wrapped up in sharing the moment via internet that it becomes difficult to truly live in the moment.

Today I want to present a challenge to you. I want each of you to think about the next "event" that you'll be experiencing or participating in. Maybe it's a birthday or a trip, or maybe it's just going to dinner with a friend or two. But whatever it is, live in that moment then. Put your phone away, or leave it out just to take pictures, but whatever you do, resist the urge to bury yourself within a screen. If you take pictures, post them later. If you want to tweet about it, wait until you're home. Enjoy your life, the friends and family you share it with, and focus less on everyone else at the other end of your fingertips.

Let's live now, and post later.

Celebrating Jason's birthday at the lake

Jason is beary photogenic

A mile high atop Grandfather Mountain

View from the hilltop at Saylor Lake

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. - James 4:13-17