This year, more than any other year, consider making an effort to unplug yourself and your family. With online learning, remote working, and virtual meetings with family and friends, make unplugging a priority while also protecting people in your community from exposure to COVID-19… especially if you are an educator.
I will be dating myself here but…remember when on winter break from school, we couldn’t wait for it to snow to build snowmen or create a snow angel? Go have one of those days, bone chilling and cold. Then warm up with some hot cocoa and marshmallows!
Remember when we used to get in our cars and everyone listened to the same radio (or podcast) program or played license plate bingo? Go on a scenic drive and enjoy being in the car together!
Remember when we all watched the same television program and did so for only an hour before reading and getting ready for bed? Keep routines simple!
Remember when we would go outside and ride our bikes around the block for hours at a time and did so without documenting every minute with selfies or photos? Go ride and enjoy the fresh air!
Remember when your family went caroling door to door in your neighborhood to spread some holiday cheer and dropped off some holiday treats? Go spread some holiday cheer at a safe distance.
Remember when you had to wait for the phone to be free to make a phone call, and if someone else tried to call, they got a busy signal? You couldn’t juggle phone calls, text messages, and Facebook posts all in the same twenty minutes. Have one of those days.
Remember how you used the answering machine to screen your calls and made yourself unavailable to people? Turn your phone off for a day and enjoy the lack of interruptions!
Remember when you used to sit by the Christmas tree with all the house lights turned off, with a fire lit, and a cup of hot cocoa in hand? Cozy up to one another and enjoy the warmth!
Remember when you could read a book all day in your pajamas cozied in your sleeping bag? Enjoy a read-a-thon for pure enjoyment!
Remember when you helped yourself to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fruit? Let the family forage for food in the pantry and fridge! They won’t starve.
Remember when you built a blanket and pillow fort in the middle of your living room to play in all day? Go build a fort and hide out for the day.
Remember when you scrubbed something so clean it sparkled and made you happy? Go make something shine and sparkle!
Remember when you put your favorite album on the stereo and played the same songs over and over again while you sung at the top of your lungs and danced like no one was watching? Go dance and sing at the top of your lungs!
Remember when you used to have to print photos, organize them, and place them in a photo album? Go capture and reminisce about fun times!
Remember when you’d spend hours coloring in a coloring book with crayons or drawing your favorite things with colored pencils or creating silhouettes by tracing something? Go add color to your world!
Remember when you used to dig in the dirt or the sand box to build and make mud pies or build sandcastles? Go build and get dirty!
Remember when you learned how to crochet or knit, and all that yarn stashed in the back of your closet? Dig it out and do more!
If you’re too young to remember these unplugged moments, call your parents or your grandparents and ask them to tell you stories from their childhood to get more ideas! But most importantly, unplug and enjoy some cherished times with family or friends.
