Friday, February 10, 2012

this weekend, try this: be present.

danny and i are often reminding each other to "be present" - it sounds so simple, but it can be very difficult. sometimes your brain is busy with thoughts of work, life and to-do lists... but the killer is technology. it's out of control and danny and i are guilty as charged. people today are obsessed with being connected. it's become socially acceptable to be playing on your iPhone during drinks with friends, blogging on your computer while watching a movie with your husband or just walking away from the dinner table to go watch TV before everyone is done. i remember when "call waiting" came out and my parents refused to opt-in because they couldn't think of anything ruder than interrupting a phone call to answer another one. oh, how things have changed. 

last weekend we were at The Vig with some friends and noticed that everyone had their iPhones out and were constantly checking them... facebook, instagram, e-mail, twitter, texts... sheesh. in an effort to "be present" we decided to stack our phones in the middle of the table face down and participate in a "phone fast" for the rest of our time together. it's amazing how engaging conversations are when people aren't distracted (myself included). 

next time you're out with friends, i challenge you to encourage a phone fast... it's a fun little social experiment. 


6 comments:

  1. I love the idea of a phone fast! I need to do that with my husband sometimes :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Kendra! It's such a good thing every once in a while. My husband and I try to leave our phones in the back bedroom while we eat dinner. Sad that we have to force ourselves to focus!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Agreed! Sometimes we catch ourselves being multi-tasking parents. There is no need (none) to check Facebook when playing with our daughter, yet sometimes we do. We are guilty and working on it too. Seriously technology. What did our parents do? Write letters and talk to one another?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a good idea! I love when i accidently leave my phone at home today! Something about not being constantly connected is invigorating! Would love for you to check out my blog and tell me what you think of my recent posts! Follow me, I follow you?!

    xx
    Caitlin
    http://hauteeyes.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ugh this is so true. I'm also so bad at this. Thanks for the reminder to live life!
    -Monica

    ReplyDelete
  6. this is one of my new years resolutions! i am awful at it, but trying my hardest to change!

    new follower, please stop on by:
    http://penelopeblue.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

lovin' you and your comments. speak up.