Screen Times →

Thanks to everyone for the shows of support last month when I announced that I was joining the Magic Rays of Light podcast as co-host! It’s been a blast so far, and I appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to listen.

What I couldn’t mention then but I’m excited to tell you now is that the new podcast format was part of a bigger revamp going on at the show’s parent site, Screen Times. This week, we launched the all-new home of ScreenTimes.net, including an awesome layout meant to compliment your Apple TV viewing.

Here’s a snippet from the site’s welcome message that explains why we’re doing what we do:

TV is important to us all for different reasons. It’s a window created by a marriage of magical rays of light and sound through which we can escape together, and for storytellers, it’s a canvas to be used to surprise, entertain, educate, challenge assumptions, inspire new ideas and effect positive change. 

There are already some awesome features there, including Sigmund’s in-depth review of the new Apple TV 4K. I hope you’ll check it out, because it’s definitely worth a read!

Thank you again for all of your support. This is a new endeavor for me, which can be a little nerve-wracking, but I’m so excited and honored to be part of this great team. I can’t wait to share more Apple TV stuff with you soon! Check out Screen Times and be on the lookout here for links to any posts I write over there.

Until next time, friends!

Magic Rays of Light

Hey, friends! Exciting news: I have the privilege of joining my favorite Apple TV podcast Magic Rays of Light as co-host. I’ve been a fan of Sigmund Judge and his work over at ScreenTimes.net for quite some time, so it’s an honor to now get to be a part of the team and contribute on a weekly basis.

I’m a big proponent of the Apple TV, as you probably well know. And I cannot get enough of streaming TV and all the changes that have come with it, so this is the perfect opportunity for me to combine these two passions of mine into one creative outlet.

I’m looking forward to lots of fun conversations with Sigmund and our guests breaking down everything happening in the world of Apple TV. If you’re at all interested in what the Apple TV has to offer, want to know what’s coming out on Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade, or just want to hear me talk on a regular basis about something I love, I hope you’ll give the show a listen!

Episodes release every Friday starting May 7th. You can follow Magic Rays of Light on Apple Podcasts or visit the show’s website to add it to your favorite podcast player.

Thanks for reading! Let’s talk again soon.

Half-Vaccinated

You know those cards everyone’s been posting on social media to let you know that they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19? Well, I have one of those cards now. Really. I never thought I’d see the day, but it actually happened!

😊 pic.twitter.com/rwTXOESIqy

— Devon Michael Dundee (@devondundee) March 10, 2021

Last week, I was fortunate enough to secure an appointment at a local health center and receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The process was quick and smooth, I missed less than an hour of work, and the only side effect was a bit of soreness in my upper arm for about a day. Hardly even an inconvenience.

And in exchange, I’m on my way to being much less vulnerable to this awful virus; to say I’m relieved would be an understatement. I’m also proud to be doing my small part to get this pandemic under control.

In addition to the relief I’m feeling for myself, it’s also great to see my loved ones less at risk. Katherine’s had both doses of the vaccine. Several of our family members have gotten their shots in recent weeks. It seems like things are moving in the right direction, and I can feel the mental weight of living through a pandemic lifting ever so slightly.

But it’s not over yet.

We all have friends and family who are still waiting their turn get the shot. Isolation and financial instability are rampant. Many are still suffering from the disease and its disastrous effects on their bodies, while others are reeling from the tremendous loss they’ve experienced at the hands of the coronavirus. We are still very much in this.

I’m only half-vaccinated, which leaves me in an in-between state. I’ve gotten a taste of the promised solution, but its true fulfillment is yet to come for me. That’s where a lot of us are right now.

We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we don’t yet know how far away that light may be. The truth is that it’s up to us.

We have the tools and the knowledge we need. Now all we have to do is use our better judgment, practice patience, and stick together until we’ve seen this thing through.

We can’t mistake progress for total victory, nor can we allow our relief to turn into complacency. We are getting closer to the end goal, but we have a way to go. There is still work to be done.

Being comfortable in the in-between is not easy, but it’s a lot better than the alternative. So I suggest we lean into it. It’s my hope that we can fully enjoy this breath of fresh air while also recognizing that we have to keep working until everyone can breathe easy again.

Let’s see each other through this, friends. I know that we can do it! I’m proud of how far we’ve come and hopeful that we’ll all do what it takes to finish the job.

Thanks for reading. Talk again soon!

With Love

Hey, friends! I just wanted to do a little check-in and let you know that I’m still here. Life is still so topsy-turvy right now, and I don’t know when things will go back to normal. I so miss writing here every week and have every intention of getting back into the habit as soon as possible. Right now, my energy is focused completely on keeping myself and my loved ones safe and doing my job at the church.

This won’t last forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can start to see it growing brighter. I hope you can, too.

Let’s see each other through this, friends. I’ll talk to you as soon as I can.

Normalcy

It’s official: The holidays are over. Christmas trees are coming down and being returned to their usual places in storage. Cleanup from our quarantined New Years celebrations is complete. This week, we each went back to our previous routines as if it had all just been a dream.

On the one hand, going back to normal after the holidays is a sad ordeal. We all love that special season of joy, rest, and time with loved ones. If you’re like me, you wish it would never end.

At the same time, though, there’s something comforting about routine. The holidays are great, but they can also be hectic: making sure you’ve shopped for everyone on your list, arranging gift exchanges, setting aside quality time with all your loved ones. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the busiest time of year for a lot of us.

The lull that comes after, the return to what some may consider the drudgery of everyday life, isn’t something we always look forward to. But I’ve long been convinced that we should learn to be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, and that includes where we are right now.

The reality is that we love the holidays because they’re special. If life was like that all the time, then it would just be typical, and we wouldn’t enjoy it as much. We need to experience the ordinary in order to appreciate the extraordinary. It’s how our brains work.

I’m choosing to lean into this more normal pace of life rather than resist or resent it. There are still so many things about this time in my life that I’m thankful for, and I never want to take those things for granted.

Of course, even this time isn’t completely normal. We’ve been in a pandemic for so long that it might seem like life has always been this way, but it hasn’t. And it won’t be forever.

I’m choosing to enjoy this return to normalcy as I wait for the greater one that’s coming. There’s something to appreciate about every period of life, so right now, I’m just thankful that everyone I love is healthy and getting by.

If you find yourself feeling a bit down about the end of the holiday season, I’d encourage you to look for the things that make your normal, everyday life meaningful. They’re there, even if they’re a little harder to see right now. If you’ve got people to love and something meaningful to do day in and day out, that’s a lot. And it’s enough to be content until the next special time comes around.

Of course, it’s important to have something to look forward to as well. Personally, I can’t wait to take Katherine out for our first dine-in meal in a year. Hopefully it’ll be possible soon! Until then, I’m happy with the routine we have and the fulfillment I get from it. Finding contentment in normalcy is a skill that we have to learn, but it’s certainly worth it.

Thanks for reading, friends! I hope your year is off to a great start, and I’ll talk to you again soon.