I really like my cell phone. I was 16 when I first got a cell phone. it looked like a brick. and I think it was one of those “prepay” ones where you only have so many minutes. my parents got one for me because I had just started driving (in the winter…in Michigan) and had already been in 5 ditches. annnnnd hit a mailbox. :) true story. I would like to add that I took driver’s training in the summer and did all my driving with my permit pre-winter snow time. so I was learning to drive on the snowy/icy roads by myself. c’mon now. give me some cred.
wait. this post isn’t about my driving history. getting back on track…
I’ve had a lot of cell phones since then, and I’ve had a “smart” phone for maybe 3 years now and honestly it would be really hard for me to switch back to an '”unsmart” phone (I mean – what else do you call them? if there are “smart” phones, what do we call the other ones?").
wait. this post isn’t about my current cell phone and how much I enjoy it.
andy, sadie, and I were talking the other day about how much TV some families watch. and then we realized that – yeah, we don’t watch a ton of TV, but how much time do we spend looking at a screen? whether it be the computer screen or more recently, our cell phones?
i carry my phone with me everywhere. I’m constantly connected. i have facebook, email, twitter, and all these social networking apps on my phone. pretty much i can be reached at any given time thru various avenues of technology unless I’m out on the water or playing volleyball. even when I workout, I have my phone strapped to my arm, listening to my music, which means if you call or text me, I still hear it.
I started thinking past week about how I often use my phone as a scape goat. this is what we do (and I say we, because I’ve done it so many times and I know you have to): we walk thru the aisles at the grocery store, talking on our phone, oblivious to the people we’re walking by. I’ve sometimes done this too – if I’m walking past a sales person and I know they’re going to try and get my attention, I pull out my phone and start doing something on it as I walk by. or standing in line at the store, waiting to pay, I’ll pull out my phone and check my email. blocking out the people around me, minding my own business.
I wonder how many opportunities we miss because we are so connected to our cell phones. I wonder how many sweet conversations we miss out on because we’re so consumed with our own social networking.
I went to Starbucks with a couple friends yesterday, up in Key Largo. we were sitting outside, enjoying the cool 70ish degree weather and our drinks, catching up on what God was doing in our lives. I noticed a couple who sat down near us. they were super hip looking, probably in their late 20’s. the entire time they sat there, they were each on their cell phones, doing who knows what. I didn’t see them look at each other once or have any conversation.
this past week, I wondered what it would be like to turn my cell phone into a “land line” – meaning, I would leave it at home and the only time I would use it is when I’m at the house. you know, kickin’ it old school when we only had land lines and people couldn’t reach us while we were out and about (I know, hard to comprehend now, right?). or maybe i don’t have to go to the extreme. maybe I could resolve to not answer calls or text people or even pull my phone out when I’m in a public place – instead, being intentional with my time and making intentional conversation with the random people I pass by.
today I went to the old 7 Mile Bridge after church just to soak in the beauty for a little bit. I resolved to not pull out my phone unless it was to take a picture. the “Hat Man” was there, set up with his hats and flowers he’d woven out of palm frons. I’ve never stopped and talked to him before, though I’ve seen him many times. so today, we talked. and it was fun to hear a little bit about him and hear about his love for weaving these palm frons for people.
having a cell phone has so many benefits. I just wonder if we’re missing out on something by always being connected.
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