The Connection of Disconnection

I admit I am too attached to my phone. While I don't use it as much as most people, I have come to realize how much time it's taking away from me doing other things.

There are times when it's good for me to have it, especially when I'm waiting in line at the grocery store and checking it can take my mind off my impatience if it's taking too long to check out. But I also see that my phone has made me always have access to doing something so any free moment I have, I pick it and look at it. And if I don't have it, I'm tapping my foot, annoyed I have to stand there and wait. What I'm forgetting is that a moment like that is the perfect time to spend letting my imagine wander, to think about characters in a book I'm working on or how to make something better with my bucket bags and paintings.

And while I spend quite a bit of time in the morning running and walking and in other prayer, giving my mind some time to wander, I'm finding that I need to still spend less time looking at my phone and more time reading and just being present in my life.

While I text various people– and it's a way of being connected– we also are more connected when we disconnect from our phones for periods of time. If I'm having a party at my house, I generally won't look at my phone for the duration of the party because it's about the people with whom I am present, not those who couldn't attend.

And in the evenings I'm trying to put the phone down and spend more time reading my magazines and books. There is only so much worth to the time on my phone (and a lot of worthless information I don't need to look at). By focusing on my time without it, I'm more creative and more connected to life around me.