Noise 2.0

Well, hello!

Another round of Happy Monday wishes to all of you!

The wind is howling, the blanket is wrapped tightly around my legs, and the laughs from an episode of Mid Century Modern are echoing within the walls of Sunshine Studio.

Welcome to a typical after 8pm evening with Mr. Sunshine where the planner book sits blank with no plans.

Well…a typical evening doesn’t always involve the wind.

Anyhoo, let’s get right at it this week.

In 2020, I wrote a post entitled “Noise.”

Well, 5 years later, I’m writing about the same thing.

But I wanted to get EXTRA creative and call in “Noise 2.0.”

I know. Clever, right?!

And let me be clear, I’m not talking about the noise of cars honking horns, people screaming obscenities from their windows of their homes, or cars driving by with their music blaring.

I’m talking about the noise of social media. An entity in my life that I continue to evaluate my relationship with. It feels like more of a love/hate relationship most of the time.

And we know that I don’t like to use the word hate, so I should actually say love/dislike very much relationship.

Honestly, the world of social media is toxic.

And it’s only gotten worse.

Y’all…we are mean people.

Do you realize that??

It isn’t even just a political thing anymore.

Our humanity has forgotten how to be kind to people.

Like basic 101 skills of being nice and kind.

I don’t think anyone—well very few people understand them anymore.

Like…just because I smile at you doesn’t mean that I want to sleep with you. It is actually a kind gesture that all of us should practice more in life.

Can you imagine that?! Like smiling should be a normal thing, but it sometimes is treated like a terrible and bad thing that doesn’t get reciprocated because we live in a world where we shy away from being kind and acknowledging the stranger.

It is too easy now for us to hate on each other and social media is a place where the ugliest of words can spread like wildfire.

It is easy to get caught up in the “noise” of social media that we lose sight of the entities that really matter in life–our family, our friends, our own well-being and mental health.

Sorry not sorry, but I am excited to continue on a journey of self-heatlh and a focus on me…

…without any noise.

And if that means limiting my social media time, muting, blocking, and being intentional about the content I see, so be it.

This week, I encourage you to take a few moments to identify the noise in your life.

And once you identify it, take a few moments to “stop, drop, and roll” yourself to moments of recharge, rejuvenation, and a focus on YOU.

As I close out this week, I share with you one of the quotes from Hoda Kotb’s book, I Really Needed This Today that I’ve been reading this year one day at a time.

“Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.”

Weak, in fact, is a sign of strength and resilience.

Oh, and learn to be kind if you don’t practice it currently.

Be HUMAN with humanity.

That’s all I have for you.

Until next week friends.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!