Plugged In

Day 86 of 100

Out to eat at a nice restaurant recently, at the table next to us sat a young couple expecting a baby. They both were texting on cell phones while waiting to have their order taken. Who knows, maybe they were actually playing video games or doing online trading, I do not know. But I do know they were not looking at or talking to each other. At the table in front of us a couple with a child about two years old, sat with three other adults and there was a portable TV on the table playing Dora the Explorer. Now granted, I remember what it is like to eat out with a tired two year old or for that matter tired teenagers, and I can empathize with their desire to eat a meal in peace. However, the child was completely oblivious to the TV, so it sat playing while she did what most toddlers do in restaurants if allowed, and walked back and forth from parent to parent, trying to get their attention. I am sure there were others is the restaurant as well, on cell phones talking, texting and checking scores of games.

It just really struck me as odd. Maybe it is my heightened awareness of clutter in our lives, or perhaps my desire to escape the hustle and bustle that seems to encompass everyday life but it really bothered me. Not that these people and their actions were intrusive to me. If anything, they made my meal more pleasant and enjoyable, as they were quiet. It just seems to be so much of it now. Like all advances, there are positives and negatives. One drawback of technology may be that although the world is smaller, our connections with those right in front of us, living with us, can unknowingly become further apart.

What do you need to “unplug” to increase the connection with those you love the most?