Welcome 2017

I miss the days when I would sit and write. Thoughtfully plodding and crafting my thoughts so that I could share them. Somehow in the last year life rushed by. Did you notice it too? It seemed as though each day would start and end in seconds. Time was quick to pass leaving me breathless each day. I felt rushed in 2016. I was constantly frustrated with myself for not starting or sometimes finishing projects.

As this new year begins I have plans to leash 2017 and train it to move more slowly. Perhaps being more aware of each minute and holding it close I can savor the time more. Our lives have become so quick and easy. All the amazing technology we have available now has taken away those spare minutes where we would pause with nothing to do but see or hear life happening around us. Those moments when we would dream or think quietly. Hearing the birds singing or watching the snow quietly fall are now invaded with videos and emails and texts.

I am wondering how to pull back a little.  As I sit here pounding words into my new iPad, I realize how so much of what I am frustrated with has helped connect us all more. Is it possible that we are connected too much? Is there a chance that we don't need to watch a video on our phone? Can we possibly get through without instant gratification in every corner of our lives? Obviously we can get by, we were connected long before any of this was available. But do we want to?

How do I convince my children that what they value so much in their lives could very well be cheating them out of so much more? The personnel connections and time spent just being are quietly drifting away. Will my girls ever understand what a luxury it is to sit and hear a real clock tick? There is nothing like the feeling of time gently rocking you as you contemplate life. The clock gently whispering "relax, relax, relax" as you sit with a beloved pet nestled near you or as you watch the sun rise or set. 

I welcome 2017. I welcome it with open eyes and heart, and I pledge to connect a little less. I plan to write more, breath more slowly and even experience new things.  I want to savor the life that I have left and not be so quick to give it away to technology. Is there a chance you feel this way too? Maybe if just a few of us slow down and take the time to be a part of the life we are living, we can convince others how valuable it is. Less Facebook, less videos and more reading and spending quality time with people we love and enjoy. Better yet, just time with ourselves reconnecting with the person we are and moving away from the disconnected busy people we have become. Happy New Year!