We’re on vacation this week with Oliver.
And somewhere between the sunscreen, snack runs, wet towels, souvenir shops, and approximately 4,000 photos currently sitting on my phone waiting to be sorted through later…
I realized something.
I am really bad at resting.
Not “sit still for five minutes” bad.
I mean truly unplugging.
Being fully present.
Putting the phone down long enough to stop thinking about emails, schedules, responsibilities, social media posts, work deadlines, and the hundred little things constantly fighting for our attention.
And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I’m alone in that.
We live in a world where everybody is reachable all the time. There’s always another notification. Another email. Another message. Another thing demanding our attention.
And somewhere along the way, many of us started believing that being constantly available somehow meant we were being productive.
But this week, I’ve really tried to do something different.
I’ve been getting up before everybody else to handle the few responsibilities I didn’t want hanging over my head for the week.
And after that?
Phone down. Be here. Be present. And honestly… it’s harder than it should be.
Because even while we’re trying to relax, there’s still that little voice reminding us about everything waiting back home. Especially this time of year. Summer sports schedules…Practices…Tournaments…Travel…Laundry piles that somehow multiply while you’re gone.
And if you’re a sports parent, there’s always that temptation to stay moving, to keep planning, to keep chasing the next thing.
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Nothing says vacation with your bestie like matching pajamas and wolf ears! Shout out to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas for an action packed couple of days along our route!
But watching Oliver this week reminded me of something simple: Kids don’t naturally live that way. They know how to be where their feet are. They can spend an hour chasing waves, digging in the sand, swimming until they’re exhausted, or getting fully invested in something completely insignificant by adult standards…and somehow make it the most important thing in the world for that moment.
No multitasking. No checking emails. No worrying about next Tuesday.
Just fully in it.
And honestly? There’s probably something we can learn from that.
Because the truth is, these seasons don’t last forever.
The vacations.
The little-kid excitement.
The chaos of family trips.
Even the sports seasons that sometimes feel never-ending while we’re in them.
One day, the lawn chairs will get folded up for the last time. The hotel rooms will get quieter. The backseat conversations will change. And eventually, the pictures on our phones will be all that’s left of moments we were too busy to fully appreciate at the time. That’s why I think it matters to unplug every now and then.
Not because responsibilities disappear, they don’t.
But because life is happening while we’re busy trying to manage it.
And maybe sometimes the healthiest thing we can do for ourselves — and for our kids — is pause long enough to actually live the moments we work so hard to create.
So this week, that’s what I’m trying to do: take the pictures, laugh a little more, check my phone a little less, and just be where my feet are.
Because someday, these are going to be the moments I miss the most.
And that’s how the ball really bounces. Until next week.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.
