Analog Connection

Today, I devoted my day to sitting in cafes waiting for someone to talk to me. At lunch time, an interesting painter came and sat next to me and told me about his life. He shared with me about the death of his lover at the start of the AIDS epidemic, and his brief friendship with Princess Diana. We talked about our favorite American painters spanning from Hopper to Wayne Thiebaud. Conspiracy theories, the right to bear arms in America and how we can resist domination by the ruling elites all came up during the hours that we spoke.

Usually, I spend my days inside my home in front of my laptop writing. Today, I took a sharpie and wrote an invitation to conversation across my shirt. Instead of writing on my laptop, I wrote in a notebook with a ballpoint pen. I am so glad that I made the decision to connect.

How can you take steps to take a break from the screen and do what you value most?