Normally, today would be a WTF?Friday post. However, I am not feeling particularly WhatTheFuck-y today. Actually, I haven't felt particularly "WTF-y" since leaving and coming back from being on a small island and mostly unplugged for two and a half weeks. I say mostly because I was happy to post photos of beautiful beaches, rum drinks and friends on Facebook/Instagram with those posts possibly have approaching the level of "insufferable". Other than that, not so much with the news-and-information-paying-attention-to-the-world thing.
At my husband's suggestion, I decided to mentally check out just before and while we were away. Like really check out. Go dark. No phone, no email, no texting, no external stressors. He did this as well, leaving his work cell phone back in NY, a first for him and no small thing. We went mostly dark. Partially because service on-island can be spotty at best (and expensive, if you mistakenly use the BVI cell network). We decided our personal devices would used for taking pictures, possibly overshare of said photos, happy places and things. No news feeds, no politics (home or national), no distractions, no empty chatter or noise, no craziness. You know what? We did and it was awesome.
Not being distracted allowed me to regain perspective on things I had lost sight of because certain situations had spun wildly out of control in the last few months, but that's for another post. Here is some of what I learned/re-learned/remembered:
Life is not just good. It is exceptional. Especially when you let it be.
I need to move to the beach and be near water. Like, yesterday.
We require very little to be content. If we allow it.
There is nothing more beautiful than a spontaneous smile returned with an equally beautiful smile. Especially from a stranger.
I have the most wonderful, hilarious, compassionate and smart people in my life.
Epic beauty can be found in the smallest thing. A stone, a shell, a leaf. Beauty surrounds us and we miss it. All. The. Time.
Fish are amazing creatures.
My husband and son are the most important people on the planet to me. They are and will always be my greatest priority. I love them fiercely and with all my heart.
Sea turtles are truly the Buddhas of the water. This year, watching them swim gave me such a sense of grounded-ness (even while in the water?) and peace I've never felt before. It's hard to describe.
I can be whole, even the face of ugliness, stress and difficulty. With grace.
Outrage take a lot energy. Often too much.
Stress and overstimulation create an emotional state where it is easy to become outraged. Or angry. Or unable to process. Or to complete simple tasks. Insert your list here....
Silence is good. And needed. And I am beyond grateful that my husband and I can be in a room, or swimming, or floating, or reading separate things together and be comfortable with quiet between us. That we don't feel the need to fill every empty space with something.
There was a bunch of other stuff as well, but those seem like the most important for now.
So back to WTF?Friday. There will be no WTF? post this week.
I'm sure I will find something to get my panties in a twist by next week because well...Donald J. Trump/lack of humanity/crime/hate/bad drivers/stupid people/trust fund babies/blue cheese/whatever/...but for this week? It's all good man!