Scroll The Screen or Seize The Day

It was a random day during the week and I found myself on my iPhone scrolling the screen.  The habit had a familiar feel about it, first it was Instagram then Facebook.  The elation of who had liked a photo or reading a comment always lured me in.  Then the screen scroll would take place.  Double tapping photos or hitting the like button over and over.  A cute dress recommendation from a fashion blogger friend. The flowers picked from someone's yard so neatly arranged in their well decorated living room.  The toes in the sand pictures of someone living their best life on vacation. The hot air balloons in the distance of someone's Airstream. 

An hour would pass and I would still be staring at that screen.  How did I know it had been an hour you ask? Because I have an alert set up on Instagram to tell me when I've been on it too long.  But day in and day out I would just ignore that notification and scroll the screen living my life by watching others live theirs. 

And then I just snapped the heck out of it.  

I just got so tired of watching others explore our beautiful planet, of hitting the like button all from my same ole sofa and the same ole chair. I was so tired of experiencing the exact same week repeated over and over or being in the same town with the same traffic and the same weather and the same bugs. 

I was so tired of sitting in the cheap seats while I looked on to what others were doing. Aside from feeling bad about my lack of hustle, or my minimalist wardrobe, or my boring social calendar, I was actually starting to feel anchored down in a way.  

So I knew it was time. It was time to travel and it was time to say "see you later" to the madness that has become social media.  

Last week we arrived back to our same ole sofa after spending eight days traveling around the southwest.  We were delighted to return to our home and our way of life, while also planning and discussing changes that we wanted to implement.  

If you are feeling held back, then I want to whisper something to you: just go for it. 

The excuses start to get old as to why you can't or won't.  
      If you want to travel, then book the flight. 
                  If you want to start a blog, then buy the domain.
If you want to feel your best, then head to the farmers market and sign up for a yoga class.  

It is time that we send those excuses packing, along with our habit of scrolling the screen.  

Life is lived outside of that device, in fact, it is lived in between the moments.  Let time expand.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, then let's chat.  

Carpe diem.

Jennifer Grant