When was the last time you disconnected? The last time you were away from your phone for more than 10 minutes? The last time you heard your phone buzz and didn’t rush to see who it was? When was the last time you turned off your alarm, or didn’t look at your reflection in the mirror…

This year for my boyfriend Seth’s birthday, I gifted him with a stay in a Getaway House! If you have never seen this experience advertised, they are tiny cabins away from the city that promise a day off for the “always on”. Now as much as this was a present for him, I have to say I benefited greatly as well. When we arrived we found a few booklets of activities, and instructions on how to fully embrace the getaway… the most important of which was to lock our phones in a tiny box that wasn’t to be opened until we left.

The first hour was the hardest…

I would hear my phone ding, and have an instant feeling of anxiety, like someone needed me and I wasn’t immediately available for them. Then in the evening all I wanted to do was check the time, should we eat dinner now? When is the sun going down? Should I walk the dog again? But it didn’t matter, Ill eat when I’m hungry, the sun will set when its ready and the Dog will certainly tell me what his body needs.. just as mine will do when I stopped relying on technology to do all of these natural things for me.

I went into this trip with a plan to take my camera, and document all of the special and “insta” worthy moments, like I have seen so many people before.. but every time I tried to stage a shot or thought about what would look cool to share on social media, I stopped myself from anything that resembled feeling like work. Our only group picture looked like this…

As soon as I saw that I clearly did not get the “perfect” self timer photo, I wanted to redo, reposition, and create the perfect representation of the trip, in one photo I could post online that accurately depicts our oh so glamorous cabin in the woods! But that’s NOT REAL!

Our trip looked a lot like that picture above, getting the world out of focus, blurring the expectations , being bored, disrupting the “quiet” with an energetic dog. Life is not meant to be perfect, sometimes things don’t turn out clear. But with the few photos I did take, I was so happy to just capture the spirit of this place and cannot wait to return to a “getaway” soon.. Even if that means building our own phone lock box and taking weekends away from the digital world.

Our weekend guidebook included a section to write your own COMMITMENT…something you discovered about yourself that you want to remember when you return to civilization. Mine is to LISTEN TO MY BODY, that means rest when I need it, give my self grace to turn off my devices, eat when I’m hungry, and sleep when I’m tired. I live every day on such a strict schedule and focus all of my energy on “the plan” when life can be so much more full if you just let yourself be bored in the woods!

For anyone looking for their own getaway experience, I highly recommend these tiny cabins, or just create your own device free trip! Check them out HERE!

GETAWAY RETREAT

Jul 10, 2018

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I'm Heather, a Wedding & Brand Photographer serving Central Virginia & Beyond! I love sharing beautiful love stories, inspiring wedding details, and practical tips for a stress free wedding!

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