Years ago, I read an editorial by Stephen Orr in the 2018 August Better Homes & Garden magazine. His thoughts stuck with me then and seem even more applicable today.

Orr said, (and I paraphrase) “Imagine reading without the spaces between words. It would be indecipherable.”

Our “Head Space” is being sucked away without any periods or pauses.

Everywhere you look people are on their smartphones, laptops, or iPads. Not just in public places, it happens in our homes, at school, and at our places of worship.

Orr points out that those “tiny glass pocket computers” are putting us on information overload and stealing head space we need to think and process. Everything he said was true then and now. And, it’s sad.

As we move into the final months of this election year, the influx of information to process will only increase.

Orr suggests putting phones down, pausing, and giving our heads room to think. He says, “Real thoughts—your own thoughts—will start seeping back in.”

Chicken Wrangler Sara and I agreed our headspace is overloaded and not just from cell phone usage. Life is busy and moving fast. We’ve decided that Stephen Orr’s advice seemed like an effective way to recharge.

After twelve years of blogging, we’re taking a blog hiatus starting September 1 to clear our head space.

As the Von Trapp Family sang, “so long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.”

The website will still be here. You’ll be able to find years of reading material in the archives. Simply scroll down the column on the left and use the site’s search option.

We are grateful for every one of you, our wonderful readers. You have made this blog a success.