Smitten, Stunned, Stymied and Stoked

Smitten...

~ by the beauty of Prince Edward County, Ontario, on a sunny summer day.

~ by an evening walk through a meditative labyrinth with D.,

where I connected with this winged messenger:

~ by weeping willows, roadside lilies and sky-reaching hollyhocks.

~ by the beauty of Lake Ontario.

~ by D. hauling two Polaroid cameras around his neck, pulling off to the roadside when the scenery spoke to him, playing with composition and light.

~ by the road less traveled and hidden gems like this:

D. walking along the beach with his Polaroids

We had the entire beach to ourselves!

~ by art galleries and studios housed in restored houses, barns and straw bale structures.

~ by business people who care about local food, creativity and learning.

~ by artists who love what they do and take time to share it with us.

Stunned...

~ by how many places, ideas and individuals encountered on a two-day getaway were physical manifestations of specific concepts and ideas that came up in either dreams or stream-of-consciousness writing during the past ten years.

Stymied...

~ by jumbled thoughts, emotions, hopes and dreams.

Stoked...

~ by possibility.

On Being Online...

Cassie's snoozing in the shade, oblivious to any online shenanigans

An online hiatus of only a few days thrust me into reflection on how I spend my time here with you - with my self.

By far the most thought-provoking occurrence during my short break was my withdrawal from Facebook. It was a LOT harder than I thought it would be.

And that's why I knew I needed to do it.

This online world has its benefits, I've experienced many and still do.

Among other things it's a perfect tool for nurturing existing friendships and creating new ones across the miles, for accessing and sharing resources, and for exchanging inspiration and support. It has tremendous potential to be of service to both individual and collective growth.

It can also, however, be fodder for dissatisfaction, information overload, and lead to an excessive need for external validation.

There's surely a healthy balance. The trick is to recognize when that balance has tipped too far in one direction and know what needs to be done to restore it.

For me, this time 'round, it was powering down the PC for a few days and thinking about why I turn it on in the first place.

~~~

What tools, mantras or practices have you found to manage your time online? How do you know when it's time for a break, and how do you know when it's time to get back on?