Unplugged & Present

As a society, we are used to having the entire world at our finger tips.  It can be a wonderful thing.  We can communicate with others like never before.  We can access information on just about anything, anywhere and at anytime.  It is expected that we can have this immediate access.


We have all heard the horror stories of people going on holidays only to return to a cell phone bill that rivaled the expense of their entire holiday.  As a family, we decided that this was not an acceptable option.  We talked to our provider and added an additional plan option to my husband's phone in the event that we needed to turn it on.  The other two phones in the family were to remain on airplane mode for the entire trip.


One of the turned off phones was mine.  And it was awesome!


Our holiday was jam packed with places to be, things to do and wonderful family time.  We were up early every morning and fell into our beds at night exhausted. 


On our first day at California Adventure Park we walked what felt like a million miles, rode rides, watched a fantastic play.  It was pure joy to watch my family soak in everything around us.  While I was watching my family, I couldn't help but notice the people around me were not doing the same thing.  They were completely wrapped up in their little screens.  I understand that waiting in line is not the most exciting thing on the planet.  The largest culprits seemed to be the parents of small children.  These kids were wired and in heaven and their parents were so busy ignoring them to even notice.  The joy of all these kids brought joy to my heart as I just soaked in my environment.


This really lead me to question why people have such a hard time putting down their little devices.  Why do we need that constant electronic stimulation?  How much of the real world are we missing out on because our focus is elsewhere?  How do I want to chose to live once I get home?  What do I want my priorities to be - the people right in front of me or my Facebook feed?


I came home from my holiday feeling very connected to my family.  I want that feeling to remain.  I am thinking through different boundaries to place on my own screen time to make sure that my people know that I value them more than what is coming up on my little device. 


I want to live in the world right in front of me and not miss a single moment.