Yesterday was a V.E.T. visit day for these sweet and spicy 18 year old nuggets, my feline familiars, pictured above.

Yes, we still spell out the word “vet” when talking about it in front of them.

Yes we know that it doesn’t make a difference because they still know.

Yes, we still do it anyway🙃

This vet visit was, quite literally, a family affair. When you’ve got one babe who likes to save her most explosive 💩 for the car ride, and two babes who scream and growl their way through the entire appointment, reinforcements are a must.

Yesterday, my mom and one of my sisters came to assist with the colossal task of braving the entire 12 minute drive to the vet’s office, plus 60 minutes in the office, and 12 minutes back home again.

In all of the hub-bub of prepping both cats and humans for the range of experiences that might occur within that 84 minute time span, I managed to forget my phone when I walked out the door…

After a momentary freakout moment in the elevator, cat carrier in hand, I decided to leave the phone at home and venture out into the world unattached to this little device that has been a lifeline at times.

And guess what?

I survived.

We had 1 phone between the three of us and all of the information we needed to get to the vet and back - yes, ironically, my sister was also without a phone for the day as well.

And more importantly, my body knows how to live beyond the confines of these little boxes that are practically glued to our hands these days.

I have lived experience, memories deep in the marrow of my bones, of life before cell phones, before the internet even, and a burning desire to reconnect to these roots.

I am rooted in blades of grass under my fingertips, digging in the dirt pile in the backyard for worms, of hearing the landline ring in my home and picking it up not knowing who would greet me on the other end of the telephone wire.

I am anchored in the sea of words as I begrudgingly (but also secretly kinda excitedly) thumbed through the encyclopedias every time my dad would respond to my inquisitive questions with a nod towards the bookshelf and a “Go look it up.”

I float buoyant through waves of memory of days spent wandering the neighborhood with friends, stopping at the 7-11 down the street for snacks and a slurpee or a friend’s house for a meal, venturing into the little patch of woods down the street near the skating rink or the ones behind our elementary school - our wristwatches and a “be back by ___ o’clock (or when the street lights turn on)” the only things tethering us to home.

I remember when you could stop in a gas station or at a local store to ask for directions and most people there would be able to tell you exactly how to get to where you were going, or at least offer a trifold map or a set of handwritten directions with a makeshift map doodle to help guide the way.

These are just a few of the pre-cell phone memories that live deep in the marrow of my bones…

Also, because I know you’re on the edge of your seat wondering if we had a 💩 situation in the car... we did not! Apparently my sister is a cat 💩 whisperer and she encouraged my spicy babe to let it all go in the box just minutes before we left.

An invitation for you:

I invite you to consider, if you feel called, in what ways you might subtly shift your relationship to your cell phone right now.

That is, of course, if you have a cell phone. If you don’t, let’s CHAT! I am so curious to know if there are folks who can walk through the world today without one.

If you’re used to having it with you 24/7, perhaps leaving it at home for an entire day or even an entire outing, is not the most subtle first move for you.

Maybe you begin by deleting or logging out of an app, such as social media or email, that you could otherwise access on a laptop.

Maybe you try to navigate to get to a familiar destination without automatically turning towards whatever maps app you use.

Maybe you start by leaving it behind when you go to the bathroom or leave it out of your bedroom at night, and progress to leaving it behind before you take a morning or evening walk in your neighborhood.

Maybe you put it away during your next social gathering or while at work.

Or maybe… the Universe makes the decision for you… as you’re rushing out the door, cat carrier in hand.

And you survive.

And the re-membering begins.

Give it at least a week to experiment with and let me know what, if anything, shifts for you in relationship to that little bitty computer that often lives in your hand.