I have had this on again, off again relationship for the last couple years, and I just don’t know what to do.
You see…. It is with my cell phone. I love the convenience of it, but hate its intrusion. I find I can call and make appointments, or touch base with a friend, or check movie times…. But when out with other friends and they are answering their phones and text messages instead of letting things go to voice mail, well, frankly it is rude. I understand we all get emergency calls, but getting an update on your boyfriend’s latest shenanigans is not an emergency. And I get sad when I see people ignoring their children while talking, talking, talking on the phones. The kids get the message very clearly who is important.
My cell phone died today and at first I felt helpless, stranded. What if I get in an accident? What if someone needs to reach me. Oh my gosh! What did I used to do, before my constant companion was part of my life? Oh yeah, I actually talked with people face to face…. And I listened (no, I did not text them my answer across the table) I listened… we conversed.
So, phoneless, I sat at a nearby patio sipping a latte and feeling the warm breeze in my hair and the sun on my cheeks. With no phone, I was unsure what to do. Then, suddenly this familiar feeling overtook me……. I listened to the sound of the wind in the palm trees nearby. I watched children running and playing, their laughter contagious and all at once refreshing.
I r-e-l-a-x-e-d… pretty much a foreign concept to me, but I actually did it. I took time and talked with my best friend… God … just there on the patio, hanging out with the Lord, talking about the day.
Hmm…….Maybe I won’t recharge my phone for a few days……
Read more articles by Laraine Hemrick Horney or search for articles on the same topic or others.
