Breaking the Habit: Rediscovering Life Beyond the Screen
Song Of The Week
Dive into the hazy, introspective vibes of Mac Miller’s “Woods,” a track that feels like wandering through a foggy forest where every shadow hides a thought. Off his posthumous album Circles, this song is a surreal blend of mellow beats and haunting lyrics that capture the complexity of struggle and self-reflection.
Mac’s voice drifts effortlessly over a minimalist melody, giving space for the raw emotion beneath. There's a haunting melancholy here that’s both comforting and unsettling—a reminder of the wild, tangled paths we all walk in our heads.
“Woods” isn’t just a song; it’s an atmosphere. Perfect for late-night drives or staring at the ceiling when your mind won’t shut up. Mac Miller crafts a sonic experience that’s as lush and mysterious as the title itself, making this track a must-listen for anyone who needs a little music to match their mood swings.
So, grab your headphones, hit play, and get lost in the woods with Mac. Just watch out for the trees... they might be listening.
Into the Wilderness
This weekend I went on the annual camping trip with my in-laws up to Salt Point State Park. I have never been a camping type of girl but for these trips I make an exception and each time I always have a blast. There is something so serene about sitting at the campfire gathering heat and diving into all sorts of topics. Or the morning fog that rolls over the trees and everything is wet with condensation. It makes you have an epiphany of how nature and humans have interacted with each other since the dawn of time. Now we have to plan to live outside for a couple of days to enjoy the silence.
Being far from civilization is an adjustment at first. The ability to get up and go to the store for whatever you need in less than 30 minutes is a blessing. I especially take this for granted. For example if you were out camping and ran out of diapers at the last second, the nearest store that sells diapers is 45 minutes away meaning the round trip is about 2 hours. Meanwhile on a normal day it would take 20 minutes tops if you were speedy enough. But if you were really tech savvy you could have diapers delivered to you at the click of a button and the time would never have left you.
Companies nowadays bank on people with no time and no energy to go to the store but want/need things. And with just a tap, we can have groceries, books, clothes, or entertainment at our fingertips. Our phones are where we access everything — from the news to our favorite shows, and now even our IDs, thanks to the DMV hopping on the Apple Wallet trend. As sad as it is to say, we depend on our phones for almost everything. And this trip made me realize how that constant connection has changed the way we experience boredom or rather, how we avoid it entirely.
What do you notice?
The way the trees sway slightly differently in the wind, the smell of lavender and ocean sea salt, the touch of the hot fire on my face, layers of conversation happening all at once, the way time stretched instead of rushed. At first, it was a weird feeling but something freeing. I kept reaching for my phone like muscle memory, like there were notifications waiting for me to check on something or someone reaching out. And every time I did, there was nothing. The world was spinning, people living their own lives and I am living mine. Everyone’s busy living; no one has the time to constantly keep up with what everyone else is doing. Right?
And yet, I realized how much of my energy goes into doing exactly that — checking, refreshing, watching. Not out of curiosity, but out of habit. I don't even know what I’m looking for half the time. It’s like I’d rather scroll through someone else’s day than fully sit in my own. Which is wild, considering how much beauty was around me — unfiltered, unposted, my life too is just... happening.
That moment made me realize how uncomfortable I’ve gotten with stillness. How easily I reach for something — anything — to avoid being alone with my big feelings. Phones let us fill every spare second with something: content, updates, noise— and it’s easy to confuse that for meaning. But what are we really giving our attention to? And what could we be noticing instead?
Our phones offer a quick, easy escape solution to avoid what we feel deep down. No judgment there, I’m part of it too. I don’t have some grand solution. I’m not deleting my apps or going off the grid. But I think I just want to pay more attention and you should too. To where our time is going, to the moments we keep trying to scroll past, and the time we have with loved ones. Camping gives me a glimpse of what it’s like to just exist in the world. I want more of that — even if it’s just a few extra minutes of silence before I grab my phone again.
Hazy Fog
This song carries the same kind of stillness I felt on that camping trip — a stillness that doesn’t always feel peaceful at first. “Woods” sits in that in-between space: part longing, part surrender. Mac’s lyrics drift between wanting connection and realizing how easy it is to get lost in the motions of life, both with other people and with yourself. The production is slow, layered, kind of foggy — just like the mornings at Salt Point, where everything was quiet and suspended in time.
There’s a line that keeps echoing for me: “Do not need nobody else, ooh / Build it by myself, boo.” It reminded me of what I wrote earlier — the realization that people are living their own lives, and I’m living mine. There’s a certain grief in that, but also a strange kind of comfort. Everyone’s busy. Everyone’s trying to stay afloat. And maybe that means we don't need to constantly grasp for updates or presence through a screen. Maybe being alone —or just being, is enough sometimes.
Listening to this track out there in the woods (yes, the irony) made me appreciate how music can mirror the mood of your environment. “Woods” didn’t try to snap me out of the moment — it helped me sit in it. No distractions, no flashy beats, just emotion and space to feel it.
Enjoy This Journey With Me
° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °
Enjoy This Journey With Me ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °
This isn’t the end—just a bookmark in the conversation. Stories don’t really close; they unfold, shift, and find new voices. If this one stirred something in you, let it breathe. Leave a thought, challenge an idea, or carry it forward in your own way. And if you ever feel like wandering through more unfinished thoughts, you know where to find me. Let’s keep the conversation alive. ~XOXO
