Today, in the space of a few hours, I saw a lot of people looking down.
The mother walking in my neighborhood with her very young daughter.
The driver in the car next to me, waiting for the light to change.
The friends grabbing a quick lunch in the restaurant.
The father leaving the zoo with his two tween sons.
The clients in the waiting room at my office.
The runner zooming by on the park path.
Perhaps you’re curious about why they were looking down.
Well, cradled in each one’s hand was a small piece of technology that pretty much had all of their attention. At least for those few moments.
I tell you this not from a place of judgment but rather from a place of observing and wondering, because I too spend far more time looking down than I used to.
And it makes me wonder what we’re missing.
The grins on our children’s faces? The particular slant of the sun coming through the window? The love in our friend’s eyes? The bursts of color all around us? A tiny sliver of moon through the branches of an old oak tree?
Seems like what we’re missing most is the feeling of deep aliveness that comes when we’re present in those precious moments. But the weird thing is, most of the time we don’t even know we’re missing anything.
So maybe it’s time to look up more often. Will you join me?
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What a wonderful reminder, Patty. Two places it especially pains me to see this happening–when mothers are looking at their phones instead of their children, or when shoppers in checkout lines totally disregard the clerks totaling up their groceries. Talk about disrespectful!
Forgot about the checkout line thing Charlotte. Have you also noticed how everyone looks so serious in the grocery store these days? Or is that just me?
I’m old enough that the constant phone checking drives me batty, especially with kids. Sometimes I feel they miss so much. What really bugs me is when you see people taking nature walks and they’re on their phone the entire time. Oh, what they miss.
Oh yes, the walkers miss out on so much Sara!
Ah…the power of technology! Funny enough, my son, who’s always connected in the palm of his hand, is the one who will come to me and ask me if I saw how bright the moon was. My daughter will send me pictures. That said, I believe that the focus of the moment has shifted and I’m happy to join you on your quest to notice the beauty around us!
So glad you’re joining me, Maryse!