In her “Choose to be Curious” podcast, Menka Sanghi encourages , “Every morning, before you look at your screen, just make it a rule that you’re going to see the sky.”
It’s a habit. I wake up, grab my phone and wander into the kitchen to start up the coffee maker. When the screen come to life, I’ll see notifications about a completed dishwasher cycle or an iOS update. My screen displays the current temperature and the number of view of my blog. I’ll glance at the weather for the day and notice how many new emails I’ve received overnight. I get sucked into the digital world before I’m even awake.
But what if I were to go outside and look at the sky? I’m going to find out. First thing in the morning, I’ll step out onto the back patio with the big dog and look up.
It’s still dark out. I notice the phase of the moon. There’s usually a planet close to it. I wonder which one it is? First I hear, then I see the lights of an airplane passing overhead.
Or the night sky is giving way to early morning orange and pink colors in the east. I wonder how many hues of pink and orange there are?
There may be clouds in the distance. Or they may completely cover the sky. Sometimes they just hang there. But other days they are racing by swaying trees as a storm approaches.
Occasionally, I’ll see the sun peeking over the trees. It’s so bright I have to shade my eyes.
Once in a very great while, since I live it Florida, it will be chilly enough that I’ll see my breath in the air. I won’t need to check the weather. I know it’s cold.
It only takes a moment, but in that instant I’m connected to the day, to the natural world, not manmade tech.
I put that mantra on the cover of my journal: Sky before screen.
Waite for it... 