I have been thinking about the way things were before I had a smartphone. Things were simpler because I wasn’t connected to news and images all the time. I used to get a magazine each month of beautiful decorating and home ideas, but now I can see the equivalent of a magazine in images online in about 10 minutes. It is a great tool, and I used the phone to take this photo, but I don’t think I benefit from the incessant information. It has been a goal since August to be phone-free for the morning hours, and I decided on this goal after praying to know what I needed to do help improve socially. The idea came easily, but I have been surprised how big a difference this has made. Obviously, this extra morning time opens my day to more possibilities. I have mostly used the time to study, read, and spend time with Tim working on mission prep. Another benefit is that I have felt more sure in myself. Being my authentic self in my interactions with others is taking away some of my intensity and fussiness. It has been a good thing to go back to the old times before I had a smartphone, even just part of the day. I find that spending the morning “off” tends to spill into lighter phone use in the afternoon and evening, too. My next installment should be to read the news like we used to when we had a daily newspaper, just once a day.