Every time I go on a camping trip, even for just a weekend, I come home with a burst of motivational energy to make something new, get a project finished, and put more effort into my job. Time-away from work and regular life has been proven to improve our overall quality of life. Getting outdoors and connecting with nature can change the way we see things, and push us to see things more positively.
It's safe to say that in 2019, our daily lives revolve around technology. In fact, it's safe to say that if we were to accidentally leave our phone at home or lose it somehow, we would feel completely lost and utterly naked. A few weeks ago, I was rushing around in the morning trying to get out the door for work. When I arrived at work, I realized that I left my phone on the kitchen counter where I was watching a video while sipping my coffee, and simultaneously eating cereal... (impressive, I know). On my break at work, I sat there for 30 minutes and realized how long 30 minutes actually is when you aren't passing time by looking at social media. It felt like an eternity. I spent the rest of the day thinking about how much time I waste by staring into my phone.
When my husband and I travel, we likely don't have service on our phones. We're camping in a dense forest or on a cliff near a huge body of water... We spend nights making dinner together and creating inside jokes. We make tea on the campfire and talk about life as we sip out of our metal cups with collapsible handles. We wake up early and go on an adventure together. We spend endless hours looking up at the sky in awe of the stars, the moon, and the impossibly beautiful sunset we witnessed a few hours earlier. If we do look at our phones, we are looking through our pictures and reminiscing over all the wonderful memories we've made together. Our relationship gets stronger, and we are forced to pay attention to each other without having to compete with technology.
My advice to anyone who is bored at their job, unsure about their relationship, or wanting to strengthen their relationship with God: Go outside. Spend a night or 2 or 3 or 10 in the great outdoors and see your attitude towards your job or your spouse change. Ditch the technology and go back to a better, simpler life- one that we are called to live with a purpose.
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."
Job 12:7-10
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:4-5
