Phone Addiction

For the last little while, I have been noticing the increase in my phone use and how often I reach for it.  I started to become aware of it and did nothing about it. I have made promises to myself since August that I would take a break or set parameters around usage. Afterall, I demand it from my children.   But, I too, can easily get lost in mindlessly scrolling through my phone, distracted by the latest notification or video recipe I will probably never make, but dang they make it look easy! 

And, it is hard when you can now work from this tiny little screen with all of the very convenient apps and marketing for small biz, big biz, all yo best friends bizz  bizz... you can talk to all your friends and family and there's an app for that and an app for this, and while it is an incredible phenomenon,  it's full of dis-ease. Its light is as big as its dark. That is law.  

The memes start to become more and more relatable on your newsfeed, the ads coincidentally align with your hearts desires and steals your attention away because it knows all your interests and likes; we've all witnessed this. The addiction is not even controlled by you anymore. If you're not familiar already,  research "algorithm".   Then watch social dilemma, if you haven't. They show us here how there is a main artificial intelligence running behind it all. Very VERY cool! I'll be excited to see what ads play on my phone after I post this 😅  I ain't hatin', okay maybe a little bit, but, it is not really "their" fault I haven't followed through with setting boundaries for myself. Awareness is key and I'm grateful for that. Balance is so important and I spend plenty of time trying to keep the human connection alive when I am outside of my shell. #currentlyinmyshell #nopunintended  

What really gets my knickers in a knot is when I read articles written 60-100 years ago and realize how fast we're evolving. Great Grandmother Maud's century old articles were advice columns if you read between the lines. Although, sometimes she makes it so you don't have to. Calling it like it was in a letter,

  "Oh yes, no rabbits, bear, moose, partridge, even mosquitoes are thinned out but the population is growing too fast for the food on earth, they haven't sense enough to stop. They are starving in 1/2 the world."   

We've evolved so much since then I wonder all the time, what she would think now of all the artificial foods, technologies and more🤔 

I think she would apply her solid advice of love and compassion, family first, and keeping a balanced body, mind and soul. Her wisdom is timeless.

 I find myself turning to the pages of her wisdom to get me through the hard days now instead of reaching for my phone and I am beyond grateful for that. She always reminds me of her love for nature and the little things, keeping me grounded from beyond the veil.   Granted, she would love that she could pick up her phone and submit an article or share a wee bit of her day & wisdom with you all instantaneously, as opposed to waiting for the mail to say her latest article would be in print next month. I just know it. She seemed to have a passion for sharing and would seize any opportunity. 

She is a huge inspiration for Lightposts.ca and Love Maud is my favorite part of it! I know she wouldn't be thrilled with a lot going on right now in this world but I also don't think it would surprise her much. In fact, with a keen sense for momentum of excess and the heights of the evolving corporate ladders, she knew just how important it was to keep her stories and traditions known. I am so grateful many of those stories have blessed my path and that I can continue with her mission to the best of my abilities - and - to make good use out of the world wide web and my time on the phone. 

It is hard to think of where we might be in even ten years time with the pace of technology and how that may or may not effect our human brains and relationships. It's also exciting to think of the possibilities and how it can serve us. But most importantly,  I am learning that it is going to require our awareness to be keen on how we balance our time so that we don't lose out on what's right in front of us or forget where we came from. 

M,

xo