Unplugged

Friday night I did something that I have not done in a long long time...... I turned my phone off before I climbed in to bed. That's right. Off!!

I am one of those communication junkies that never turns my phone off, check email a dozen times a day, will respond to a text immediately if at all possible, and gets frustrated when others don't do the same. All of this "connectivity" however can hinder relationships. I read an article the other day about how to tell if too much time with your phone is hurting your relationships. Now I don't think I'm too that point, but I am a junkie and some times just need to detox.

Working with college students I understand the importance of keeping up with the times and communicating on their level..... via text, facebook, etc. And I love all of it. However I hate how more gets said via technology than it does face to face. Someone made the comment the other day that this current generation loves coffee shops because you can share a table with someone, but yet read or be on your computer and not have to talk. That's just sad to me. I love coffee shops so I can sit across the table from someone and have deep and meaningful conversation. I never want my technology to mean that I no longer do or even can communicate face to face.

My turning my phone off Friday night doesn't seem like a big thing, but it's a step for me. Just a reminder that I don't have to be "on call" 24/7. Even after I turned my phone on Saturday morning, I left it in my phone while I watched movies with housemates all day. (seriously... we watched 7 movies this weekend!) It's nice to shuck the technology and spend time with people!! We should do that more often.

Until then......