I'm feeling rather liberated today. Nope. I haven't climbed a mountain yet or rafted the rushing waters of the Rio Grande. 

Yesterday I trashed over 11,000 old messages on email. I'm crossing my fingers I didn't get rid of anything important. (The thing is, my phone had no space to add anything new. If I tried to take a picture, the message "your library is full, no storage space" would flash across my screen.)

I don't know what I'll do without the "@donotreply" reminder from school that one of my kids had a 78 average in English class this past fall or that special discount from Shutterfly, offering 25% off photo books. 

I've cleaned out my photo library on my iPhone too. 

My screen life is simplified. 

That's not to say I've been able to have the screen time I'm usually afforded. There's limited cell reception here. Throw in the fact that Jason took out the TVs that were in the camper before we left and I'm pretty much living like a cave girl. (Not really. I'm obviously tapping away on my iPhone as I speak while sitting in front of my own personal space heater lest I catch a chill from the coolness of the morning). 

But screen life is limited. And my life is lighter. 

I'm not guaging America's reaction to the Stanford rape case, or to the girl in the news from the metroplex who shared in her valedictorian speech that she's an undocumented citizen, or its reaction to the latest on the Trump and Hillary slugfest. That's not to say that I'm no longer compassionate, but I'm less nosy and less stressed. And it's a nice break. 

The mere act of getting "rid of stuff" and not having access to my typical time-eaters makes me instantly feel as if I'm adding gigabytes to my brain space and years to my life. 

Simplification and careful elimination

That's the ticket 

not only concerning my technology time but in my use of time altogether 

I'm practicing making room in my crowded life; more room for God to show me things, things an overfilled, distracted mind might miss. 

I can better listen and understand what God requires of me. 

It's been easy the past five days, the first days of sabbatical. We're kid-less until next week. "House cleaning" takes about ten minutes. I had bacon wrapped peppers for supper last night and smores for dessert. The weather is beautiful. I'm learning to live better by the use of training wheels these days.   

My prayer is that I'll keep my balance when the wheels come off back home (or maybe by day 10 if my "need-to know and need-to-be-involved default" kicks back in). My hope is that I'll be alert to the world's tedious and cumbersome invitations that I'm not meant to accept. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

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Check out our sabbatical pictures on Instagram @ Kristi burden and pastor burden