Tune out, turn off, unplug it all

I've heard that people who are able to draw boundaries between work and the rest of their lives are more effective and focused.

I would have a hard time testing that theory. I'm not sure I have any boundaries between my work and the rest of my life. As electronics invade more and more of our personal space, that dividing line becomes almost impossible to find.

I think back to the first professional job I had. As a reporter, I worked when I worked. There was no internet. No cell phone. No social media. (There were also no digital cameras or pagination software programs, but I digress). The only fuzzy line came when people in the community approached me at the grocery store, in a restaurant, at church, at my son's school, etc. and told me about a great story that our newspaper was missing. I was pleased that the community felt I was approachable. And it didn't happen every minute. When I took a vacation, I was really gone and unavailable.

Fast forward 28 years. I often wish I was back in those days, not only because I miss writing professionally, but also because I miss the boundaries. Today I am responsible for my agency's social media, electronic newsletter and webpage. I have a personal Facebook page, that makes it easy to stay in touch with family and friends, but also easy to send me a personal message. People can call, text or send me emails on my "smartphone." I get messages before, during and after work. And people expect me to respond. Sometimes I'm even proud that I respond early in the morning and late at night.

For most of the past three days, I've been at the Grand Canyon. Within the national park, I went back at least 10 years. My reception was severely limited. No 4G service, no emails, no Facebook updates. I forced myself to stay out of the business center. I shut off my phone and charged my camera battery instead. I unplugged and laced up my boots. I breathed Ponderosa pine instead of Facebook memes. And I admit, when I hit mid-afternoon today, I had to force myself into the truck to start the drive back. It would have been easy to stay a few more days.

The Bible's writers could have never fathomed smartphones and laptops, the internet and cell phones. However, they realized that there are times and seasons for all different types of activities (Ecc. 3) and that Jesus didn't totally uphold Martha's toil (Luke 10). Today, Jesus may have told me to tune it out, turn it off and unplug it, enjoy some life and take time to listen to Him.