Hello, luvvies! 💙

I took a break from social media for a week (okay, 5.5 days. I started to cave in a little as the days went on. Not so much scrolling through as searching for specific people/things. I may have just confessed to social media stalking. Whatever, we all do it, right? ANYWAYS…), and at one point during that week, I sat in a Starbucks working on a project, and decided to randomly look around as I was in my thought process.

Something in me told me that I should stop looking around, and look up, and when I did, I realized that I’d never really noticed what the ceiling ever looked like in this particular Starbucks, and I’d been there a couple of times before. There was nothing truly special about the ceiling, at least I think to most people.

But, why don’t we look up? Well, in my case at Starbucks, who needs to look up? All the action is around you, it’s face-to-face. Or, most likely, it’s right in front of you as you look at your laptop or phone screen.

And that made me think of my social media cleanse for the week. I decided to go off of social media because I’d realized just how much of it was for me to please other people with what I posted. I also realized how much time I spent endlessly scrolling through all the different socials, when I could be doing other productive things.

I’m so stuck looking down at my phone so often, I don’t really have the chance to look around me, or even look up.

The architecture of the ceiling at the Starbucks I was at wasn’t exquisite, but it was still pleasant to look at. Someone designed it to be that way; they took the time for it to be structurally sound, and physically appealing, yet, who actually looks up and appreciates it?

My break from social media was a chance for me to look up from all of the distractions, comparisons, competitions I was creating for myself as I watched other’s lives instead of making my own.

Now, don’t get me wrong…social media is great in a lot of ways. I mean, I only took a week off because a lot of what I do (#MotivationalMishyMondays, daily challenges, blogging and #JustStartWriting promo, etc.) requires social media. But I specifically needed to separate myself from it so I could take a look around me and above me; so I could see the unique aspects I have to offer, the fresh ideas that I was capable of creating when I waited on the Lord, sat in my own head, and refused to look at other’s accomplishments and wish they were my own.

My week off of social media captured in one motion of just looking up at Starbucks. Now, I’m back, and, even though I will admit that I have done some endless scrolling, it hasn’t been as bad. I just want to remember (and encourage you to remember) to look up from your phone, your laptop, your work, whatever is distracting you from the world around you, and embrace the people and things you’re surrounded by.

#MishyWrites 🦋✨