Put down that smartphone and LIVE in the moment!

I will be the first to admit that too often my iPhone takes my focus away from what is actually happening around me. Yes, I’m great at using my camera phone but as my wife would say why don’t you look up and see the incredible sunset instead of texting or checking the latest status update on FB or LinkedIn. What happened to actually engaging someone in a real conversation? I know that the attention span of most is unfortunately just a few minutes because of our high tech hyperactivity.

I’m fortunate to be around a lot of seniors that don’t have cell phones and yearn for just an ear to listen, a smile and a warm handshake. So why do we, myself included, have to be so busy and too quick to have our iPhones attached to our hands and can’t just disconnect from social media and our business to actually enjoy a real conversation? What’s the big deal about the latest celeb hype or the playoffs in the NFL? Does my life really depend upon the outcome of the Superbowl?

What happened to investing in real friendships where the focus isn’t on a smart phone but the other person’s expressions? This hit home the other day when my wife in tears expressed how she loved our New Year’s Eve celebration that was just being at home by ourselves without any distractions. I know that for most type A’s, this is who I am, that it is so difficult to be still and let go believing that the world can go on without me. I had this incredible sense of enjoyment last night when I sat on our backyard patio looking at the palm trees we had just planted.

I did the Rock and Roll ½ Marathon last weekend and what stood out was how a large group of people, over 25K, were able to walk, jog and run without having their smartphones attached to their ears. Instead the focus was on a significant cause, raising funds to fight cancer and remember a loved one who had battled cancer. This has become a yearly practice for me, as I purposely want to remember my mom and her battle with cancer over the last decade.

I can’t fathom my mom’s response to me if during her last few months I had sat with her on the couch with my iPhone stuck to my face. I can hear my mom saying to me that if I really wanted to be with her I would put down that ‘damn’ cell phone and give her my full attention ‘eye ball to eye ball’.

Time to live in the moment instead of trying to get the perfect picture to remember something that I really didn’t see because I was too busy trying to capture the moment.  Thanks mom for helping me see that old school is really old!