I might be dating myself a bit here, but when I was in high school, one of our halftime shows was the music of Blood, Sweat, and Tears. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember one of the featured songs was "Spinning Wheel".
Ride a painted pony, Let the spinnin' wheel spin...
In high school, I learned the lyrics referenced being stuck on a carousel; going around and around without ever actually moving forward. However, now a days, all I can think of is the spinning wheel on my computer... waiting for a program to boot up... waiting for an Apple Music file to load... waiting for the video to stop buffering... waiting.
All too often lately, I have noticed my wheels spinning. If I'm not careful, I spend all my free time spinning between e-mail and social media apps on my phone...Waiting for something new to pop up. Waiting for an e-mail that demands my attention. Technology is no longer the tool-- it is the governing force. Instead of connecting with what's most important in my life: my family, my music, my teaching, my craft, my wheels are spinning while waiting for something "urgent".
Although I've realized this over the course of time, today I decided to conduct a little experiment just to determine how deeply ingrained my phone usage has become a part of my daily life. I was blessed with a day for just me and my baby girl at home, so I decided to go "old school"; recalling a simpler time when phones were attached to walls with cords and the only messaging was via post mail or answering machine. I decided from morning until nap time, I would not use my phone at all. I made an old-fashioned to-do list and opened myself to becoming aware of how easy or difficult it was to ignore my phone without judgement.
I learned two important things from my experiment: The first was that I have become *far* more dependent on checking my phone than I ever thought... I lost count of how many times I reached for it but had to pull back. It took an incredible amount of energy to stay mindful and be in the moment, even with my daughter there to keep me busy, but I managed to make it through. (Although the judgement part went right out the window; as I became more and more aware of my habit, I also became more and more annoyed with myself.)
The second was that even though it was extremely challenging to let go and be in the moment, I ultimately felt a greater connection with the important things; a purposeful, authentic connection. I took care of some Back to School Shopping, accomplished some major adulting with our furnace/AC, got caught up in my daughter's memory-a-day book, and also found some great new music possibilities for the bands while browsing online! (It was so much fun listening to different pieces and noting the baby's reactions-- adorable! If her reactions are anything, we are going to have some AWESOME concerts this year!) Completing my to- do list AND connecting more deeply with my daughter... I may have felt like I ran a mental marathon, but it was worth it!
I wanted to document this before looking ahead to the coming school year to serve as a reminder: Sometime the very technology meant to help us be more productive and give us more time to do the things we love can also (ironically enough) prevent us from doing just that. When it does happen, breaking the cycle, stopping the spinning wheels, and keeping things simple might just do the trick. Here's to a year (and lifetime) filled with authentic connection, deeper meaning, and emblazoned passion for the important things!
Ride a painted pony, Let the spinnin' wheel spin...
In high school, I learned the lyrics referenced being stuck on a carousel; going around and around without ever actually moving forward. However, now a days, all I can think of is the spinning wheel on my computer... waiting for a program to boot up... waiting for an Apple Music file to load... waiting for the video to stop buffering... waiting.
All too often lately, I have noticed my wheels spinning. If I'm not careful, I spend all my free time spinning between e-mail and social media apps on my phone...Waiting for something new to pop up. Waiting for an e-mail that demands my attention. Technology is no longer the tool-- it is the governing force. Instead of connecting with what's most important in my life: my family, my music, my teaching, my craft, my wheels are spinning while waiting for something "urgent".
Although I've realized this over the course of time, today I decided to conduct a little experiment just to determine how deeply ingrained my phone usage has become a part of my daily life. I was blessed with a day for just me and my baby girl at home, so I decided to go "old school"; recalling a simpler time when phones were attached to walls with cords and the only messaging was via post mail or answering machine. I decided from morning until nap time, I would not use my phone at all. I made an old-fashioned to-do list and opened myself to becoming aware of how easy or difficult it was to ignore my phone without judgement.
I learned two important things from my experiment: The first was that I have become *far* more dependent on checking my phone than I ever thought... I lost count of how many times I reached for it but had to pull back. It took an incredible amount of energy to stay mindful and be in the moment, even with my daughter there to keep me busy, but I managed to make it through. (Although the judgement part went right out the window; as I became more and more aware of my habit, I also became more and more annoyed with myself.)
The second was that even though it was extremely challenging to let go and be in the moment, I ultimately felt a greater connection with the important things; a purposeful, authentic connection. I took care of some Back to School Shopping, accomplished some major adulting with our furnace/AC, got caught up in my daughter's memory-a-day book, and also found some great new music possibilities for the bands while browsing online! (It was so much fun listening to different pieces and noting the baby's reactions-- adorable! If her reactions are anything, we are going to have some AWESOME concerts this year!) Completing my to- do list AND connecting more deeply with my daughter... I may have felt like I ran a mental marathon, but it was worth it!
I wanted to document this before looking ahead to the coming school year to serve as a reminder: Sometime the very technology meant to help us be more productive and give us more time to do the things we love can also (ironically enough) prevent us from doing just that. When it does happen, breaking the cycle, stopping the spinning wheels, and keeping things simple might just do the trick. Here's to a year (and lifetime) filled with authentic connection, deeper meaning, and emblazoned passion for the important things!
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