Coffee With Kate #9
Bonnie Tyler really doesn’t get enough credit. Total Eclipse of the Heart may be one of the greatest songs ever. It’s just so good. I remember learning it when I was a young teenager. One of my friends introduced me to the song and I was obsessed. It just feels so good to sing it. And then Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James (aka Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff) covered it on Glee which was wonderful too. And this week, it got more well-deserved recognition because of the eclipse.
The eclipse was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments. I was excited about it, but the hype in the weeks leading up to it had me thinking it would be overrated. So then I wasn’t as excited about it. Then we were told it would be overcast in Dallas, so I resigned that we would watch it on TV. Boo!! We ended up keeping our daughter home from preschool on the chance we could see it happening, even if it was just as the moon moved into place. She is always talking about “Mr. Golden Sun” and the moon and stars, so we knew we had to experience it with her even if it meant experiencing darkness in the daytime with her.
On the morning of April 8, I was worried about cloud coverage and that we wouldn’t see anything. It finally began around 12:30pm and we went out to check it out (with our glasses, of course) and we were so happy to see how sparse the clouds were. There were clouds but very few and they were moving fast. Everything aligned for us to see the full show with very few clouds blocking our view.
As we were preparing for the big show, I googled “iPhone camera settings for eclipse” and was met with articles saying something unexpected: don’t bother. Or, if you need to take pictures during totality, take them of the faces of the people you’re with.
And what a reminder.
I ended up ditching my phone throughout the entirety of our eclipse-watching. My husband is a better photographer anyway, so we got some cute pictures of our family and kids. But when it came time for totality, our eyes were on the sky. And not through a viewfinder or phone screen.
And to be very poetic right now, it was so nice to break away from my unhealthy relationship with my phone and just be in that moment. Total Eclipse of the Heart is about a love affair that draws you in and won't let you go, even though it would be healthy to get away. The "total eclipse of the heart" lines refer to the lover overshadowing one's life so much that the sun's light is blocked out, plunging the person's heart into darkness. My phone isn’t my lover but is like a very toxic sidekick that I just can’t get away from, even though I know it would be so much healthier for me. Sometimes it feels like so much of life is overshadowed by the pull my phone has on me.
Somedays it’s really bad and I have to force myself to put my phone away so I can be in the moment. A few times recently I have accidentally left my phone at home or in the car and instead of feeling panic and worry during those moments, I’ve really leaned into them and enjoyed it! We went out to dinner with family last weekend to celebrate our daughter’s birthday, and I left my phone in the car. I didn’t take any pictures, but other people did. There were times I wanted to check my phone (why?), but I was so happy it was away from me and I could fully be present with everyone. Mr. Golden Sun’s light was so bright that day.
I shared this post by
on Instagram last week and was inspired to make my own list of things I’d rather do than be on my phone. So this is all feels very relevant right now. Here’s some of what I included on my list:play with my kids
hang out with or talk to my husband
read
declutter or tidy up
work on a puzzle
sleep
take a walk
visit local shops
play with my dog
catch up on work
try out new recipes
go to the farmer’s market
garden
stretch
take a nice long shower
What would you include on your list?
🔗 Interesting Links
🔒 As I sit here recommending links to you, I am thinking about how social media in general has become a big pool of recommendations. I read this post by
and ’s post about recommendation culture and you should to. It’s really made me think more about this Ezra Klein podcast I listened to a few months ago about personal taste. Do we have personal tastes and preferences anymore or are we all just an amalgamation of everyone around us and those whose content we consume on social media. And to Roman’s point, if we don’t share our recommendations - are we just gatekeepers? No one wants to be labeled a gatekeeper, but protecting what makes us unique is important too.💤 I found this post about the evolution of work and rest to be so fascinating. What would you think of a 4-day work week or working 20 hours full-time? What would you do with the rest of your time?!
📱 What would it be like to live in the year 2024 without a smartphone? Here’s a little sneak peek! Also, what is your average screen time for the week? Mine is embarrassingly high at over 5 hours. Yikes!
📺 Speaking of screen time, I’m always trying to navigate screen time with my toddler and figure out what’s quality screen time and what’s not. I know that’s a whole topic in and of itself, but we do use screen time (even though we’re also trying to cut it back). Here are some TV shows that are most high quality.
ICYMI
I shared my first meal plan this past week! Thanks to everyone so much for being supportive, sharing feedback and kind words, liking, sharing, and subscribing! I am so grateful!
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Loved the work article! Such a timely read.
I really enjoyed that podcast episode from Ezra Klein as well! I am trying to spend less time on my phone and more time engaged with whatever I'm actively doing and I'm liking everyone's lists of things to do!