Imagining a screen-free life? How did I get here?

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It all started in Jan’s kitchen, 12 years ago. Over cups of coffee and homemade cookies we were deep in discussion when a question came up; it was one of those “ask Google” moments. But here in Jan’s kitchen, down in the valley, there was no WiFi and very little cell service. Jan hurried to the other room to get an encyclopedia and dictionary— we were going to settle this the old-fashioned way. 

I realized that this was the normal pace for life on their farm. Just in this short weekend stay we had already butchered chickens, sang around the table, laughed, prayed, and poured over books. Even books I thought nobody used anymore.

This place and the family who lived there became near and dear to my heart, and I found myself always looking forward to the next visit.

Maybe you, like me, have longed for a simpler pace: less distracting reels, more real conversations, less instant access to all the information, more space and time to ponder.

So what do we do? Move off-grid? Become Amish? Probably not. We have these lives that are saturated in the digital world. This blog only exists because of the internet and my little laptop– I see the irony there.

My hope with this blog is this: to inspire you to live a life more screen-free, not out of guilt or for the sake of doing another digital detox with the kids. But to reclaim moments from your busy days so you can do the things you love and be more present with the people you love. 

We don’t all have a Jan in our lives or an idyllic farm nestled in the river bluffs.

But I hope that with some intentionality and the courage to be different, we can cultivate some of that for our own families, our own homes. I look forward to imagining screen-free with you. 

Catherine