31 Day Social Media Fast: Day 9 & 10

In which I skip out on Instagram and Facebook for the month of March but still allow myself the internet.

Wildness.

The weekend is an orgy of relaxing and resetting, sorely needed by Khristian and myself. February is always hard, and this one seemed particularly difficult for both of us.

Saturday is filled with naps and a delicious frittata.

I spend a substantial amount of time Sunday morning reading The Book of Delights and petting the cat. This morning itself is a delight with its rainy dripping and water sounds in the gutters outside and my love sleeping softly and warmly next to me.

We have sprung forward, and I am glad of it. Another milestone, another sign that the literal and metaphorical darkness of winter is lifting.

I am unexpectedly glad at this day for no reason other than the sweet wet smell of rain and the purring hum of the cat and the warmth of Khristian next to me.

This morning, once we are ourselves lifted out of bed, we have fried eggs on toast with arugula (to complement without revisiting yesterday’s spectacular frittata with arugula, sweet peppers, and onions).

We wile the day again away, dreaming of our land in New Brunswick that we will visit next week, before we go to an unspectacular poetry reading. We go our separate ways after – me to yoga, Khristian to his studio – and meet a hawk in the parking lot where Khristian drops me off. I take the disappointing picture above but feel this wildness is a gift, another unexpected gladness, on a day just like any other day.

31 Day Social Media Fast: Day 8

In which I skip out on Instagram and Facebook for the month of March but still allow myself the internet.

As seen at MOMs in Hampden. Would you try it?

It’s Friday, Day 8. The Child and I journeyed to the netherworld that is Costco where the people were friendly but today’s samples were subpar.

I didn’t have the heart to remind her that today would have been her dad’s 51st birthday. I cannot imagine him at 51. These days, it is increasingly hard to imagine him at all.

Life moves forward apace. It is snowing outside, and my boo is on his way over. We will watch the flakes fall and eat pizza, then go to sleep early after a long week.

Just five more days of 47 left. Not sure how I will spend my birthday; thoughts?

31 Day Social Media Fast: Day 7

Don’t hate me because I like snow. More on the way tomorrow.

In which I skip out on Instagram and Facebook for the month of March but still allow myself the internet.

I wake up after a dread-filled sleep to a sunny cold morning and hurry off to a meeting regarding the City Ranch grant. It’s at a wonderful little diner of a restaurant, the kind where the waitress tells everyone when to move their cars because of street sweeping and calls all of the patrons, “Hon” unironically.

I have eggs and home fries because this isn’t the place for gluten-free toast, but the coffee is pretty damn good and the conversation is even better.

Mr. Dahn and I hug when we part, our first hug, and he feels like a friend. That makes me feel warm.

I go home and floss my teeth, brush, and use plaque-reducing mouthwash. I have an appointment at the periodontist, and when I get there I [unknowingly] sit right across from a mucous-filled old lady who coughs with her mouth open and blows her nose into the same tissue for the next 45 minutes. It is utterly horrific.

I sit there for an hour and am about to lose my shit when I get called back and everything is worth it because my new favorite periodontist tells me that there is really nothing wrong with my teeth so he will leave my mouth alone but recommends a bite guard for my raging bruxism. I think I love him.

Side note: I wrote the above-linked article for bruxism, and all the other articles on that website. It is a miracle my teeth survived that year and a half.

It’s one week until my birthday, one week into the social media fast. I have had a few moments where I considered checking back in to The Facebook, but I have not done so. They passed, and I felt better for staying off.

Like someone on a juice fast, I feel lighter. I missed the connection of some of my social media interactions, and I am sad that very, very few people read this blog (thanks, friends who do), but for the most part this has been refreshing and clarifying.

I recommend it.

In late-breaking, entirely unrelated news, I am so proud and pleased to be a Marylander today after the House of Delegates passed an assisted suicide bill, making it legal for terminally ill people to end their lives in the state of Maryland. Hopefully the Senate will follow suit, and Governor Hogan will sign the bill.

31 Day Social Media Fast: Day 6

In which I skip out on Instagram and Facebook for the month of March but still allow myself the internet.

As seen in Woodberry at a green light (with no one behind me).

Today I start out with grant writing for City Ranch. This is the second grant I have written for them – still waiting to hear about the first one, sometime in April. If I get these two grants I will consider my year as successful. That will be $30,000 raised for this organization, which is so deserving and does such good things in Baltimore City.

Side note: If you want to support City Ranch, they are having a fundraising event on March 23rd. I will be in Canada, so if you go or donate, that would be awesome. This year I was going to fundraise on The Facebook for my birthday (last year for my birthday, friends donated $700+ and I matched it for Everytown For Gun Safety. This is, thus far, the only solid reason to break my fast, but I’m still not doing it.).

After the grant writing and the dropping off of The Child at work, I pick up another potential client and then go see a house that is…interesting.

More on that later, perhaps. Or perhaps not.

That is all. Except for this quote by Albert Camus from yoga last night:

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.

And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”

Clear and cold but sunny. Nearly spring. Still pushing back.

31 Day Social Media Fast: Day 5

In which I skip out on Instagram and Facebook for the month of March but still allow myself the internet.

Good morning. Indeed.

Yeah, I made gluten-free Pop-tarts today.

Two fillings – blackberry and chocolate – largely due to poor filling planning and my belief that they probably wouldn’t work so why bother making/procuring something special. #ohmeoflittlefaith

I used this recipe for gluten-free Pop-tarts, only with my gluten-free flour blend, and I frosted both flavors with a simple icing made with milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. I also made them 3″ x 4″, because who eats a Pop-tart that is 2″ wide? #noone

I won’t say they were perfect, but they were pretty freaking delicious. Next time I will maybe chill the dough, but it’s not strictly necessary.

I missed Pop-tarts.