The Gift of Presence

During my 41 days away from social media, I rediscovered something priceless: the gift of presence.

When I wasn’t glued to a screen, I was actually free to notice the people around me. And let me tell you — those people are pretty amazing. We ate pizza without anyone pausing to take a picture of it. We ran outside in the rain like kids who forgot they were supposed to be “grown-ups.” We played Yahtzee (and yes, I may have done a small victory dance when I won). We even had entire pajama days where we didn’t step foot out the door. Honestly? Those were some of my favorite days.

And the funny thing? When I wasn’t scrolling, I suddenly had more time to guzzle coffee like it was a competitive sport, bake cookies just because, and completely rearrange my living room with fall décor in the middle of July (because why not? 🍂).

I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing until I put my phone down. These simple, ordinary moments are the ones that matter. They’re the ones that stick with you long after the scroll is over. Social media can be fun, but it doesn’t compare to hearing my grandbaby giggle, or seeing the joy on my family’s faces when we’re together and fully present.

If you’ve been feeling like life is rushing past you, maybe it’s not about adding more to your plate — maybe it’s about setting the phone down and picking up the joy that’s already right in front of you.

When was the last time you unplugged and really enjoyed something simple and special with your family?

Stay tuned for the final post in this series, going up on Monday!

Debbie 🙂