Many of us today are seeking to find best personal ways to start our unrolling days before outside demands, digital distractions begin overwhelming our daily allotment of waking-time.
“If I were stranded alone on a desert island and could have brought only one thing from the outside, it would be a newspaper to read thoroughly over and over and memorize,” my father’s saying stayed with me from childhood. That was about the same time when in third and fourth grades I was reading Robinson Crusoe and also publishing my first carbon-copied, later mimeographed neighborhood newspapers.
Later as a young Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya, I happened once to find myself stranded all day alone in a strange place awaiting unscheduled transport for an expedition and decided to put into practice my father’s idea. Having a days-old newspaper in my bag, I spent that day enjoying re-reading and contemplating the news articles instead of agitating over my temporary situation.
Now I admit my own lifetime addiction for finding meditative calm to start my day: holding and reading the morning’s print newspapers. Ideally, after first immersing in some writing, I reward that effort with this favorite activity. A form of meditation? Yes, my special kind.
Even in this summer of global agitation, my preferred morning activity is reading through my three daily print newspapers delivered to my house. Then afterwards, feeling relaxed, even relieved on reviewing the paper panoply of news, I’m ready to roll into the new day, including viewing incessant digital news.
Elizabeth “Liz” Colton, an author, educator, diplomat and Emmy Award winning journalist covering news worldwide, currently teaches diplomacy and strategic communications/media for UNITAR’s and international universities’ global courses. She also serves as board-chair of Reporters Sans Frontieres/Reporters Without Borders RSF-USA/North America.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here