2.2.14

Breakfast: two blueberry pop tarts

Lunch: McDougals fried chicken

Dinner: Standard SuperBowl party snacks (which includes but is not limited to): chips & queso, fried chicken, pigs in a blanket, brownies and some other baked goods of "homemade" origins

iBreak Update

A week ago I deleted the Twitter and Facebook app from my phone. I still tweet and I still go on Facebook, just not on my phone. This has been a great thing for me.

The first few days were really challenging. But it got easier. And now, even though it's only been a week, it's a great thing. I'm a safer driver, I'm a better listener, I make eye contact and my attitude has improved. I know this all sounds dramatic and premature considering it's only been a week, but the pros are thoroughly outweighing the cons. So I really hope I keep up with this.

Tonight was possibly the best SuperBowl I've watched in 3 years. Mainly because I enjoyed the company of humans rather than the company of my phone. But also because I didn't feel the pressure of having to keep up with culture; the tweets about cool commercials, witty remarks about the halftime show, and apparently some hashtag about esurance and winning money or something?

It helped me realize the kind of value I had placed on something so intangible. Over the past year I've faced a lot of changes, and I think I really began to lean on social media as a constant to hold on to in this ever changing reality. Each new day may have brought uncertainty, but an updated timeline kept me plugged into a world full of "friends" that gave me "comfort." Over time this developed into something unhealthy. And as things settled, life began to offer me opportunities to take the changes in my reality and turn them into valuable experiences, but I ignored them just so I could maintain a hold on a very false sense of security.

It's kind of liberating, loosening my grasp. Again, I'm fully aware that it's only been a week, so I'm not trying to talk about this from the perspective of a wise old addict who's kicked the drug and now knows the meaning of life. But I am trying to reflect on how stepping back from everything this week has given me a new point of view on where the boundary with social media and intangible relationships should be drawn. Value needs to be placed on the real and on the present, not on the intangible.

There are people that walk in and out of my world everyday. Real people. People with stories full of hardships and triumphs. And if I'm smart enough, I will put away my phone and recognize my privilege to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know these people and add value to their stories by encouraging and celebrating their realities with them.

Enjoy the intangible but value the real, value the present.

P.S. excited to announce that the first ever Guest Blog for The Offensive Appetite is in the works! My best friend Pope has something unique and humorously intriguing in store for you guys so stay tuned.