Hubby and I used to always start our day with a small fire and coffee. Chatting about our plans, hopes and dreams. It is a treasured tradition to me. The boys enjoy it too. Neeko runs all over, he is forever on patrol, making sure his family is safe from all sorts of dangers. Rogue squirrels do not stand a chance, and Ninja bunnies know better than to try and take down the ever vigilant Neeko. Gator is retired from that kind of insanity and prefers to sit close to mom and the fire. He is my personal bodyguard, insuring that no one and nothing gets close to his mommy.
I didn't realize until this morning how much I have missed these kind of mornings. The gradual start, where technology is shut out and the chance to just reconnect peacefully. It was so nice. Life got in the way of our routine. I think it's time to reclaim it.
No television, which is now available on everything. No email, which squeezes into every aspect of our lives - we didn't used to be able to access it on our phones. Phones used to be just to call. Now they are electronic leashes. This morning... I remembered, before...
Our world is more connected than ever, and more disconnected than ever. They days of a silent conversation without any interference are way too few. Everyone can reach you, non-stop, but are they reaching you? I know I am guilty of distracted conversations. So much to do, trying to complete those never ending to do lists.
Is it that important to be on an electronic leash? I don't think so. I am not saying that it isn't convenient to have access to all the things we have now. But I am wondering what it does to the quality of our lives. How many morning fires and sunrises do we miss doing stuff that simply isn't important. I was listening to the TV while ironing the other morning and there was a commercial on, it was for Michigan (one of my favorite places!) and it was talking about us each having roughly 25,000 sunrises and how we spend them.
This morning reminded me that I long for the old days. When a phone simply rang, if you were there you answered it, if you weren't... it simply rang. I love having instant access to my family, but even that brings with it a certain amount of stress. Used to be when you couldn't reach someone you didn't worry for at least a day, now... now you call the house, the cell, check Facebook, check email... and then you panic. Instead of thinking they might simply be busy, you worry that something horrific has happened.
I spent most of my teen years without a phone, at that time having a phone was cost prohibitive in Germany. If I wanted to call someone I had to walk to the nearest pay phone. Instead it was easier to simply go and find the person you needed to talk to. If you wanted to hang out after school you made plans, and you talked face to face. There was less noise in your life...
Television wasn't a normal part of life, and the radio played softly, back then. And yes I was disturbed to realize that was over 30 years ago. We simply didn't have a huge amount of choices for either, so why bother. It was much more fun to get lost in a book, be outside with friends and family, doing things together. Ah the stories I could tell about "bathroom adventures in Europe"... but I won't...
I hope this morning is the first of many more fire filled mornings. The crack and pop, the slow evolution of the day. I feel mentally and emotionally prepared to take on the day. I feel in control of things. Hope everyone else has something that will center them... something that will help them regroup and refocus before they venture into the day....
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