an unplugged morning

Yesterday morning, my alarm went off at 5 am instead of my usual 6/6:30. After squeezing in about 20 extra minutes of snuggles, I pulled myself out of bed to a cold dark loft, threw on a sweatshirt, and headed out the door with Bruce for our morning walk. As we strolled the empty streets of downtown, I was amazed by the beautiful stars overhead. In the cold silence of the early morning, just me, Bruce, the stars and the streetlights, I began my day with prayer. After we returned from our walk, I decided to get in a little yoga, read my daily devotional, and then spent some time throwing the toys for Bruce. As I enjoyed my coffee and he cheerfully ran up and down the hallway after his ball, I realized that this peaceful morning I was having was because I was present, instead of on my phone (besides snapping these picture of course…). So often my mornings begin with checking email, calendars, social media etc. as I race around to begin my day, but yesterday was different and it was so nice! Lately, Max has been making an effort to help us unplug – suggesting “phone free” walks, dinners etc. and as much as I love Instagram, I love my little family more and am so grateful for quality time together. Yesterday's peaceful morning was a wonderful reminder of how unplugging and removing distractions allows time for more important things, like prayers and pugs.