Cleaning My Digital House: #SOL20 Day 6/Year 3.

I spent far too much time on the computer yesterday. How do I know? I feel frustrated this morning. When I think over the last month, albeit a short month that went fast, my most relaxed days were when I was on vacation. That makes sense, but I think it was more than just being in vacation mode. I think it was my daily pattern. Only a little time was spent online – in the morning to check weather, emails, and texts from our sons.  And, perhaps, at night to check the venue for the next day. In between, we were busy walking, hiking, or driving to our next adventure. There were only a few moments a day spent googling, searching, or even writing (I skipped a few days of my blog while on vacation).

But, yesterday I wrote my blog, photoshopped some jewelry pictures (I have a hobby creating jewelry), and read social media – about the environment, about the upcoming elections, about a lot of different things that essentially do not matter to my life any longer (like an old job). By the time I went to bed, I was frustrated, angry, and tired.

There were some good points to yesterday as well. I spoke to my parents by phone who are currently at their condo in South Carolina.  They are doing fine.  We had an enlightening conversation with our twenty-year-old son who is figuring out his path in life and decided to share what he’s thinking.  We were happy and supportive of what we heard.  In general, life is very good. Very good. And, I found out a young person I nominated for a Youth Conservation Award is going to receive it! All good stuff that I need to turn towards, not bury myself away from behind a screen.

So, today I know what to do! I will spend less time on the computer! It is hard to do when you consider yourself a writer, a developer of curriculum and lessons on the environment, or when you have a conference presentation looming at the end of the month, as I do. But, I will stay off the computer and phone as much as I can. The weekend is supposed to be sunny with warming temperatures. That is a fact that needs to be celebrated after a mid-western winter when the cold and wind can feel like it is cutting your skin.

My digital house needs cleaning, this I know. I need to purge or archive some old files, categorize and save photos, work on things that matter for the future, not ruminate about past ideas not being valued because I was the one who happened to have them.  I need to start cleaning my digital house by first staying out of it. When I return, I will have a clear mind and intention on what to save and what delete from my digital life and memory.

It is March 6th and Day 6 of the Slice of Life Challenge, hosted by TwoWritingTeachers. It is my third year of participating in this challenge. In 2017, I wrote for all 31 days and the habit kick-started three years of daily blogging! I will celebrate my 1,000th post this month! In 2018, I also wrote for the SOL challenge for all thirty-one days in March of that year. I skipped the challenge in 2019 but am back for 2020! Thank you for offering an opportunity to be part of such a supportive group of writers!