Coming off the screen

Coming off the screen. This track is for the moment you put the phone down, or close the game, after a long stretch. The eyes are tired, the body has been still for hours, and the room feels oddly far away.

Put the phone face down, or move away from the screen.

First, the eyes. Look at the farthest thing you can see. The far wall, a window, the end of the street. Let the eyes rest there. They have been close in for a long time.

Blink a few times, slowly.

Stay with the far wall a little longer.

Now the body. Roll the shoulders back, once, twice.

Turn the head slowly to one side, then the other.

Open and close the hands. Stretch the fingers wide.

Stand up, if you can. Feel the floor take your weight. The legs may feel stiff. Let them.

Now the room. Look around it, slowly, as if you had just walked in. The light. The things on the table. Any sound from outside.

Notice the pull back to the screen. There may be a feeling that something is waiting there. It can wait a little longer.

One long breath out.

Now, one next thing. Not the screen. Water, a wash, a window, a meal, a person in the next room. Choose one.

Go and do it. The screen is where you left it, and it is not going anywhere.