I couldn’t help but snidely chuckle in agreement when catching the line in our feature story, “The Microadventure Mindset, Finding Natural Splendor Close to Home” by Carrie Jackson, that relates the need for "... time away from our cursed phones.” Having a deep love-hate relationship with a device that contains such a vast amount of information and convenience while simultaneously stealing countless hours of priceless time seems to be a common struggle for many these days.

Using an app-blocking device has helped considerably with social media since the one I chose doesn’t have a convenient work-around. Yet somehow, I still face the challenge of open access to the rapidly changing and intentionally addictive news cycles of mainstream media. These aren’t quite so easy to block without taking away access to the tools that are most useful and I won't totally keep my head in the sand.

This month’s theme brought the opportunity to consider another approach to help conquer the habit of news-cycle addiction by replacing it with something that will get me outdoors. With that in mind, I’m going to lean in this month to creating a new mental trigger that shifts my mindset when I get tempted to veg-out on the endless stream of breaking news.

Our Wise Words article by Robin Fasano, “Micah Mortali on the Cure for Screen Fatigue: Rewilding Your Life,” is another worthy read that tracks with the theme of living a bit more mindfully and attentively to nature and all the beauty that surrounds us when we take a break from technology.

Whether it’s taking my little twerp Cooper, a wildly energetic 14-year-old Yorkie, on a short walk, tossing the ball around with him in the backyard barefoot or just sitting on the front stoop watching the wild roaming menagerie of birds, squirrels and chipmunks that visit for treats, I think it will do me good to replace that soul-sucking habit with a little time in the sunshine!

As you flip through these pages, my hope is that you find a little space to pause and perhaps breathe a little deeper, try one new nourishing habit, or simply rest with intention. Whatever you do, I hope this summer in New England is good to you!

Peace,