DROP YOUR PHONE AND GO OUTSIDE

Hey y’all!

I’m pretty passionate about this post and it will probably be one of my longer ones, so buckle in, grab a cup of coffee, snuggle under a blanket, and get comfortable. =)

THE GREAT OUTDOORS.

When I was a little girl, I spent so much time outside. Being a homeschooler, I definitely had more freedom to do this. My siblings and I would run around the neighborhood, pretend we were Native Americans/ Pilgrims and build huts out of fallen debris, craft bows and arrows out of broken branches, and pretend to build fires in the woods. We explored all nature had to offer between the trees in the forest.

Circa 1998

Coincidentally, my hair was never combed and I had poison ivy at least once a year.

As I grew older, especially in the later years of high school, the time I spent outside began to decrease as my eyes focused more on the computer/phone/TV screen. The odd thing is that I never really felt like I was missing anything because I was so out of touch with the childhood version of myself.

There’s a quote I really like that reminds me of these days…I wish someone would have told me this in the midst of that period of my life.

Don’t forget to love her. The little girl you used to be. Perhaps she lies within you. Untucked. Sleeping Peacefully.” Kiana Llanos

For more quotes, Check out the new series I’m doing!

When I got to college, I met my husband and found out that I was in love with a man who loved the outdoors. He ran races, camped on the forest floor, swam in mysterious rivers and lakes, and climbed mountains.

Together, we shared so many outdoor adventures during our time in college.

We fished.

2014

We hiked.

2015

We camped by a river.

Circa 2015

We even got engaged on top of a mountain!

Circa 2016

(Yes, that is smeared mascara on my face. The tears were flowing!)

When I was in college, it was so easy to go out and do these things because our responsibilities were minimal. Go to class, eat, sleep.

Now that we are older, it has become so difficult to prioritize time outside because our list of responsibilities has grown significantly. However, we still try to find time to go outside and explore a few times a month! Since we’ve been married…

We’ve hiked to multiple waterfalls.

We’ve spent countless days in the park.

We’ve visited lakes and taught our puppy how to swim.

If I’m being honest, our main motive behind going to these places now is because they’re basically free and life is expensive, y’all! It’s a lot cheaper than going to see a movie or hanging out in the mall.

Last week, we visited a local park and set up our little picnic set that I got for my birthday.

We brought our dog Bailey along, cooked some tacos beforehand, wrapped them in tin foil, and laid out to enjoy our surroundings! Bailey was able to play fetch while we just talked and relaxed! No phones, no TV. It was so peaceful and fun!

I wanted to point out that this little trip took about 2 hours from beginning (food prep) to end (packing up and going home). It would have been so easy to make excuses to not go outside and stay in and watch Netflix.

But we didn’t.

It was such a good decision!

What I’m trying to do is encourage you to make small changes in your life that open your schedule up for time outside. Your body and mind need this so badly! Life can be so LOUD and it’s amazing how rejuvenating it is to just BREATHE outside.

Millennials are known for being addicted to their phones. I saw a video recently that shook me.

This was scary for me to watch because I think I would struggle with this experiment, too. Babies are learning to navigate iPhones faster than we are!

My husband and I have sworn not to give our children access to technology until they are teenagers, just so that they can have the same upbringing we did. Obviously, everyone says that and then it changes…but that’s the plan now!

Anyway, I’m getting long winded!

Thank you for reading this super long/all over the place post!

I want to encourage you to spend some time outside today! Even if it’s just for 20 minutes while you leave your phone on the counter!

-Emily