C O F F E E T H O U G H T S

WHAT I AM DOING: throughout the month of january i have decided to take a break from social media.  i deleted my Instagram and Facebook apps from my phone. i even logged out of Ebay, Amazon and Pinterest(that only lasted until today…i need my recipes back) my number one goal was to relax, to stop being a slave to my phone and to learn to be with people in realtime and not in the airwaves. don't get me wrong here, i LOVE my Instagram and Pinterest almost as much as i love coffee and yoga but it is always healthy to cleanse. being alone, being quiet, those aren't things that come naturally or easily for me. this year for Christmas i received a handful of thoughtful gifts that were screaming "CORDELIA! YOU NEED TO STOP GOING SO MUCH AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!" i was seeming to me that people, and my Dove Chocolate wrapper, were hinting at something… is it true? am i always on the go and never taking care of myself? fine then, if i have to be alone i will listen to music, watch tv, and talk on the phone, all while checking my Instagram! i will do anything that allows me to turn off but still drown out the actual (non-crazy) voices in my head. again, don't get me wrong here, i love my tv shows and my music but…it's always healthy to cleanse. 

WHAT I AM LEARNING: so far this month i have learned that i rely on technology oh so very very much.  i pack my day full of human interaction then when i come home i indulge in "quiet time" aka tv-watching-instagram-checking-pinterest-pinning-and-secretly-facebook-stalking-frenzy, i call, my social media addiction. i am learning to let go of the need for constant connection and approval. i am learning to sit in a silent room and be comfortable. i am learning to accept the fact that i still have lots of room for improvement. i have realized that being alone does not mean i am lonely.  i have realized that having a ton on interaction on Instagram doesn't mean that i have a ton of very close and personal friends. in a recent conversation with a bull-headed-brother of mine i realized that experiences on the internet are nothing compared to experiences we feel with our hands, see with our eyes or hear with our ears.  as humans we crave connection. so naturally we take the easiest way to make those connections and we run buck wild with it.  however being able to edit those connections actually makes them weaker not stronger.  a strong connection with something/someone is built through every sense of the word connection. we have to be in realtime in order to really be human. 

WHAT I AM TAKING AWAY: life is a serious balancing act. everything must be done in moderation. i love the connections i have made through social media. i love seeing how other people spend their sundays at home or weekends away. i also love living my own sundays and weekends away and not having the need to show everyone. there is the key (at least for me) to having a healthy relationship with my phone. i need to know when is the right time to be "plugged in" and when is the right time to soak in the surroundings and just be.