Lately, all I see are the busy people walking, texting, and not paying attention to the world around them. Everyone seems to be on a mission to multitask every aspect of their lives. And I get that. We live in a world where people feel that being busy is the only way to show they are thriving in life. But why? There is a power to being present in the moment.

I will be the first to admit that I tried to do it all and constantly needed to be plugged in. I would have my phone on me at all times, ready to check an email or respond to a text. And then I had two aha moments that made me stop and re-evaluate how I was spending my time.

The first was at a gathering. It was a holiday celebration, and most people had not seen each other in a while. But after the initial hellos and snacking, the conversation seemed to lull. I looked around, and most of the people there were on their phones. They were either scrolling through social media, playing a game, or texting someone who wasn’t there. It hit me. When did being present and talking become a thing we didn’t do? The second hit-me-over-the-head moment was when I saw not one, but four separate people walking their dogs in my neighborhood while being on their phones. Not one of them looked up or was even watching their dogs. They just kept their heads down and eyes glued to the screen in front of them. Why? Are you so important that you can’t take fifteen minutes to breathe, recharge, and actually enjoy the time you are spending outside?

This all started me thinking about how many times a day I try to juggle multiple tasks and exactly how much time I spend looking at my damn phone. Let me tell you, it was too much. Even in my downtime, it happened. I would be watching a TV show and miss a part because I was checking an email. Did I need to check that email at that exact second? The answer may shock no one. I didn’t. And yet…I still felt that pull.

Enough. I had to stop. So, I set out to make a plan. It was hard, and I still have the desire to doom scroll while watching TV or lying in bed, but I am making progress. I never walk my dog while on my phone. She enjoys the walk more, and to be honest, I do too. Our outside time recharges me and allows me to bring more focus to my work. I have learned to put my phone on a shelf, in my bag, or in another room when I am with other people. Imagine this…I talk to the people around me. I know. It is groundbreaking, right? I have even managed to put my phone to the side while I watch TV. I sit and watch a movie or binge a TV show. I am in it with no distractions, experiencing everything. It is so much better.

And here is the one that I think changed a lot for me. The way I read. It wasn’t something I thought I needed to change, but I did. Remembering the time I spent reading when I was younger triggered a need to switch around what I was doing and how I was doing it. Now, when I am reading, my phone isn’t near me. No devices except my tablet if I’m reading an eBook. However, if I am on my tablet, ALL notices and alerts are turned off. It is me, sometimes my dog, a cup of coffee, and my book. I can engage like when I was younger. I enter the worlds created by authors and allow myself to get lost. It is wonderful, and as cheesy as it sounds, reading has become magical again for me. I regained the spark I used to have.

So, if you are all like me, take the time to re-evaluate your time. Can you unplug? Can you step back from the multi-tasking and really be present? I did, and my life is much richer for it.

If confession is good for the soul, why does writing what you honestly feel seem taboo? Most of the time, I hold back what I am really thinking online because it is brutal out there. I see what others go through and wonder if it is all worth it.

With all that said, this year, I have vowed to write more. Articles, books, Post-It notes. Whatever! All I want is to put my ideas out there and see what happens. There may be crickets, or maybe I will connect with others like me. But no matter what, I am doing this for me and expecting nothing from anyone other than myself.

Now, you may be wondering why I am developing this space after over a year of sitting with it. The answer is simple. I have entered into my attention-seeking chick era. Kidding!

No. Seriously. I have been working on this for a while. I have started and stopped Art, Books, & Coffee resurgence a million times. After the initial success in 2016, I struggled with what I wanted to post and got caught up in letting the trends dictate what I would post and read. I looked to others and compared myself to them. Essentially, I went down the spiral of doubt. I didn’t have as many followers as others in the bookstagram world. My first book didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to (but that is a whole different story of giving in to pressure from a PR company that didn’t wind up actually helping my book sales). That is over.

It is time to regain my voice. I am reading what I want. Enjoying the art I love. Drinking that extra glass of wine or pot of coffee. And now, I hope to share that all with you. This will be a positive space. I plan on sharing tons of books, some of my interests outside the book world, and my background in art. Not to mention all the thoughts I have about growing older in the graphic design world, the crazy musings, and questions I would like to share with the world.

So…here we go!