I returned from the inspiring Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College yesterday to this tweet from Elizabeth Law, reader and editor extraordinaire:
In an age of digital hullabaloo, one of my life goals is to avoid screens and plugs from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday. Apparently, I've discoursed about that publicly. The problem was that I was reading the tweet first thing Sunday morning.
At the Festival, I was reminded again that maintaining a 24/7 digital connection can suck the storytelling right out of you. Creative work flourishes with the age-old practice of a weekly day of rest, during which we enjoy a five-senses attentive delight in the present.
That's why I am going to renew my device-free habit from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday.
But this time, I don't want to do it just for me and my stories. I want to invite you into this practice with me (not exactly with my rules and schedule—feel free to make up your own), so that many, many good stories might emerge.
Join me in taking a one-day-a-week break from email, social media, and internet browsing, and/or refraining from screens and plugs altogether. During our digital break, let's rest, play, and be present in our places with our people. Let the stories come!
@MitaliPerkins, do you still practice one internet free day a week? Or is it even more rigorous, are you entirely device free? I'm intrigued.
— Elizabeth Law (@ElawReads) April 13, 2014
If I could blush, I would have.In an age of digital hullabaloo, one of my life goals is to avoid screens and plugs from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday. Apparently, I've discoursed about that publicly. The problem was that I was reading the tweet first thing Sunday morning.
At the Festival, I was reminded again that maintaining a 24/7 digital connection can suck the storytelling right out of you. Creative work flourishes with the age-old practice of a weekly day of rest, during which we enjoy a five-senses attentive delight in the present.
That's why I am going to renew my device-free habit from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday.
But this time, I don't want to do it just for me and my stories. I want to invite you into this practice with me (not exactly with my rules and schedule—feel free to make up your own), so that many, many good stories might emerge.
Join me in taking a one-day-a-week break from email, social media, and internet browsing, and/or refraining from screens and plugs altogether. During our digital break, let's rest, play, and be present in our places with our people. Let the stories come!