Field Notes, Vol. 1

February notes on presence, watercolor postcards, immune support, and going more analog

I’m excited to introduce a new monthly series called Field Notes — a small collection of things I’m reading, loving, and noticing in this season of life. You’ll also find The Analog Files, where I’ll share something I’ve learned through my experiment with tech minimalism.

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Recently, I did an episode on the podcast about winter rituals and wellness experiments I’ve been integrating into my daily life. And I’ve been getting the inner nudge to put the specifics in a more concrete place vs. only floating in the audio ether.

While I’m always trying to keep things simple over here, I do have tried-and-true products I can’t live without, new ones that feel good, practices that I lean on, books I’m making space to read, things I’m thinking about or noticing…

So, why not share them once a month? Field Notes will be the home for all of that – the stuff that is helping me find my way and feel good in my skin.

So, without further ado, here’s what stood out for me in February:

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1. Emily Lex Studios Postcards. I have to thank Marie Forleo for the recent discovery of these cute watercolor workbooks and postcards. I bought a stack from her Valentine’s Day collection, painted them, and sent them to dear friends. It was such a soothing exercise to sit quietly, feel the paintbrush against the paper, play with color, and confront my own self-criticism. There were a few spots that I “messed up”. But just like I tell my daughter, Violet, watercolor is forgiving. So, I was able to fix them up. Having this project gave me an opportunity to do something creative and lean into my analog practice. Win-win.

2. Wild Wholistics Mushroom Tonic. If you’ve listened to the podcast over the last 6 weeks or so, you know my household has been hit with virus after virus this year. We haven’t ever had a winter this brutal to be honest! Thankfully, my immune system has stayed strong enough to ward off the flu not once but twice, and to avoid most of the upper respiratory viruses that have been floating around. Over the past few weeks in particular, I have been taking a dropper full of this tincture from Wild Wholistics and I do think it helped me stay healthy. This brand in particular is known for their high-quality ingredients, in fact, I’ve used a number of their products and love them all. So, this one is definitely a winner.

3. The Well-Lived Life by Gladys McGarey. As I shared on this episode of The Blair Badenhop Show, I absolutely loved this book. It was written by a 103-year-old physician, known as the mother of holistic medicine. And I couldn’t get enough of her wisdom about how we can all partner with our bodies to increase longevity and joy in our lives. She speaks so much about the importance of unblocking what isn’t flowing – physically, emotionally, and mentally – in order to boost vitality and aliveness. Her tone is so grounded and calm, and it made me wish I could surround myself with elders. Highly recommend!

4. My Presence Practice. In an effort to slow down and be more present, especially in the most ordinary moments of everyday life, I’ve started up something new: a practice in being present. But it’s not just sitting and noticing, although that is great too. It’s sitting, noticing, and describing it on paper (or the notes on my phone). Why does this matter? Well, I’ve found writing it down helps me see the beauty even if at first glance, it’s not. For example: we recently drove back from the Blue Ridge mountains on a rainy day. My view out the windshield was pretty meh. But then I decided to notice the details:

Sprinkles of rain on the windshield
Puffy layers of white and gray clouds
The quick clink of our blinker as we turn off the exit
A single red car in a sea of white, black, and gray

And suddenly, a very mundane moment has some color and personality. Now, I’ll admit, it doesn’t have the same feel as scrolling on Instagram, which is what I would have usually done on a long drive. Those dopamine hits feel so much better! But I did bring myself fully into the present, which is the goal. And I keep wondering what else I’ll discover as a result of really noticing. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. We’ll see.

5. Embracing a More Analog Life. Going analog is having a moment right now, and I love it. I love that there is this collective craving for simpler times and a reduction in tech, namely our phones. I also love that I’m following through with my own desires here. It feels so good to take my attention, energy, and power back. To radically change how I’m using my device. And to spend more time in my touchable reality.

What have I noticed? My nervous system is steadier. My idle-moment-phone-reach is a fraction of what it used to be. Daily life feels calmer and more spacious. And I’m being forced to confront boredom way more than I was before. So, what am I doing instead of looking at my phone? Reading books and magazines. Getting organized. Finding bits of clarity. Doing creative projects. And most importantly, being a more present parent.

THE ANALOG FILES

Notes from my experiment with making my phone less interesting.

Untangling myself from my device isn’t as simple as I thought it would be. At first, I thought, “Ok, I’ll just remove everything, so that I can only call, text, and email.” But quickly realized that living in our modern world means that there are a handful of apps I will always need on my phone. My kids’ schools both have apps – need those. Banking – need those. Music – need that. Apple podcasts – definitely needed. Safari – needed way more than expected. Amazon – need that too.

The truth is, I don’t want to make my life less convenient or rely entirely on my laptop for grocery orders, bank transfers, and vital communications. As a mom especially, they create so much efficiency and I’m all about that. What I do want is to be less distracted by my phone. And those everyday apps, well, they’re not the problem. Social media is.

Since removing the apps that I would scroll the most – I’ve gone from 4-5 hours of screentime per day to 2.5 hours per day. That’s around 115 hours of screen time a month down to 56. Huge improvement. But honestly, it still feels like way too much! At the end of the day, I’m not aiming for 0 hours or 100% analog. That’s just not realistic. What I’m looking for is a feeling: spaciousness. And I can honestly say, I’ve already created that.

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If you’ve also been getting the itch to spend less time on your phone and experiment with a more analog way of life, I’d love to hear what that looks like for you. Trading ideas and strategies for being more present and intentional is something I’d love. Please share below!

Big hug,