When was the last time you disconnected from all technology and truly took in the world around you? For many of us, we may not even know the answer. Those people who don't, really don't know what they're missing.

As I sit on the top of a hill, watching the fog settle in the valley and listening to the crickets, I'm realizing that so many people may never actually experience what I am in this moment. Sure we've all seen fog and heard crickets, but to really quiet your mind and soak in your surroundings is a completely different experience.

Why has this become so difficult for us to do? To just sit and be present with the world we live in? Well, the cell phone in my pocket and tablet in my hand could easily be the culprit.

With the technology we have being so readily available and the cyber world being at our fingertips, it is so easy to become distracted and focus our attention on social media and the world that technology brings to us. We are always on Facebook, Pinterest or texting our friends and we don't really take in the world and life that we have been given.

From all of the stress and drama that social media can bring to out lives, I wonder why we don't do a little more to escape it and enjoy life. Logging off of Facebook for a week, texting just a little less, going on a hike or going camping, there are so many little things that you can do to get away and try to be conscious of our world.

Almost anywhere that you go, you can find a park, a pond or a quiet back yard you can escape to. You don't even have to be in the middle of nowhere to experience this. If you live in the city, just take a step back and really take in what is going on around you.

To help myself turn off my mind, I put my phone and all technology aside and use all of my senses to really take in my surroundings. I prefer to be outside with nature, few people and little human-produced noise.

Use this technique to really feel the air around you, recognize the way your clothes feel on your body and the pressure of how you're sitting or standing. Listen to the birds, crickets, or just take in the silence surrounding you. Look at the colors, textures, and patterns of this great earth and think of how pleasant this moment truly is. Is there a scent in the air? Or can you feel the moisture as you breathe in?

I challenge you to disconnect from all technology and really absorb the world around you. You will hopefully feel all of your stresses flow out of your body, and will truly be grateful for this wonderful world that we have been given.