Walk away for a while; come home to the real world

​I spent a few days on Sutton Island this past week, after an intensive stretch of non-stop activity. You know the kind. My first two days I was alone, a rare situation for me on the island. On the first day I decided to take a walk around the east end loop without my phone.

The number of times I reached for that darn slab of plastic and metal was embarrassing.

How far have I walked?  What time is it? Oh, that's beautiful; where's my camera? Has anyone texted me?  Have I done Wordle today?

​Sutton reminds me to sit still, put my phone away, and immerse in the light and shadow of fall. Watch the gulls, eagles, osprey, heron, cormorants, loons, songbirds, and seals - all going about their lives, busy working, eating, interacting -  without a thought for what's happening in some electronic other-world. The physical world is a good one, and we miss too much of it. It's our home. You'll remember it, if you give it your attention.

Take a deep breath, Robin. Slow down. Immerse in the air of autumn. Can  you find a time to turn off the electricity and simply be present with the natural world? I aspire to do it, but often fail. I wish you  all the balm of "disconnection" too, which really means, the balm of reconnecting to the physical world. 

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