When the hubs and I were first married, we bought cell phones to carry with us in case of emergency. These phones were small, and had one function.
Over the years, we upgraded to the push to talk, walkie-talkie version. The trouble with this type of phone, was lots of other people had them. Every time you heard the "chirp-chirp", you immediately went for your phone to make sure it wasn't yours.

After our son was born, we had run of the mill, flip phones. Everyone else was buying into the droids and smart phones. People were texting. It took too much effort to text using the flip phone. So, we moved up in the world and bought the kind with the slide out keyboard. Then, we could text each other and our friends!

About five years ago, we came into the current age and purchased our first smart phones. We could call, text, AND surf the Internet right from our phones.

I just saw a commercial this afternoon and it stated how many apps there are. One point five million can be found in the Apple app store. Oh, and the android market has one point six million apps?! Astounding.
If you stop and put down your phone think about it, (almost) everybody has their nose in their phone! I am not exempt from this, embarrassingly.  I feel like a lot of us are living in such a great disconnect because we are so connected to our phones.
Some people have a great deal of discipline and will put limits on their phone usage.
I realize I should be living a bit more disciplined. Okay, a lot more disciplined.


What did we do before social media and the age of the Smart phone?
Stop and think about it. What did you do with your time before you were glued to every kind of status update, pinterest pin, snapchat post, twitter feed, game etc...?

The moment I realized that I truly had a problem, was last Monday. A jury duty summons came in the mail. Upon calling the number last Sunday, I found that I had to report the next morning.

I was reminded that no electronic devices, cell phones, pagers, tablets, were allowed in the court room and to please leave them at home or, lock them in your car. I immediately began to panic. Already nervous about jury duty (in the past I was always fortunate and didn't have to go), I wouldn't know anyone, I would have to spend a day or several with a bunch of people I didn't know!

The next day, I got ready and made my way to the courthouse. I stopped for coffee and killed some time before I went in. I placed my phone in my console and locked the car. The nerves were definitely flaring on the walk to the building and through security. The elevator was about as big as a small closet. two people could fit comfortably but the ride was a bit unnerving (creak, bump, creak, rattle).

I took the only open seat at the long antique table. A few "good mornings" and smiles were exchanged and then came the awkward silence. It was right then, I grabbed my purse to retrieve my cell phone that wasn't there. No phone to hide behind, no unimportant emails to read, facebook status to post, twitter feeds to re post, pins to like. I had to actually talk to strangers! panic!  I looked around the room as it began to fill up. several people had already began to chat amongst themselves. others stared down at the floor, looked around awkwardly, dozed.  A younger woman came in and sat in a chair a few feet away. I tried to smile and hope to start a conversation but alas, someone else began to engage. I seriously wanted my phone! At least I could text a friend and give them a play by play....
So, after a long day of questioning, and a lunch break spent in my car with my precious phone, I realized there was a problem.

Before the smart phone, when life was just "let's get phones for emergencies", what did I do with my time?

I sure got a lot done around the house.

These days I claim how busy I am and I can never get anything done. If I really think hard about it, before I had the distraction of the phone, I cleaned the house, I got down on the floor and played with my son (without checking status and hash tagging silly phrases). I spent time in the kitchen cooking with my hubs and if I had time to myself, I had books to read. Paper backs, hard covers, and magazines! I have an E-Reader and while I love having books and magazines at my fingertips, I still miss the feel of a book in my hands and turning pages. The smell of an old book is so nostalgic!


These days, we use our phones to decompress from work. We eat dinner but some nights we don't talk. My son begs for our attention, the hubs asks me "What's so important on that phone?". Folks, I have a problem.

So, I'm charging you with this. Think about what you did before you had the distraction of your phone/tablet. If you were put in a situation where you had to leave your phone at home for an unspecified amount of time (a day or more), would that bother you?

I feel like I"m missing out. Missing out on reality, my son growing up, having meaningful conversations with my hubs, cultivating relationships with my friends, spending quality time with my family. So, I've decided to take a break. I've thought about deactivating my facebook altogether.  I'm getting rid of silly apps on my phone that distract me the most, I"m only allowing myself a set time to check social media.

What will I do with all of this time?

I have books to read, games to play, hands to hold, necks to hug and memories to make.

Who's going to join me?

Linking today with The Faith Barista and Coffee for your heart

Blessings,


8 Comments

  1. This is challenging for me and my husband too. I think once we have kids putting the phones away will only get harder! I used to do so much reading before I had a smart phone. I pretty much always had a book in my bag, and now i mostly just grab my phone. I definitely miss doing all that reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lauren! It's so hard! There are so many conveniences on the phone now! Grocery list apps, Bible apps, you don't even need to pick up a newspaper anymore because it's all right there!
      Yes, I always carried a book in my bag everywhere too! I belive I'll start doing that again! :)
      Thanks so much fo stopping by!

      Delete
  2. Krista, I cheer your heart to focus on what matters. I know that you will be richly rewarded for that. Thank you for joining the linkup. It is a joy to read it! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kelly! I truly appreciate your encouragement! So glad you stopped by today! :)

      Delete
  3. Ouch. I know I am too much in love with my phone too. When I can't use it responsibly, I need to take a break from it. Being on jury duty without a phone would send me into a panic too. I turn to my phone when I'm trapped in a boring situation far too often. But yes, as much as I love what our phones can do--and much of it is wonderful!--we still need to keep a balance with it. Thanks for this encouragement, Krista, to lay down the phone more often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa! :)
      Yes, I'm learning how to be more disciplined and it's not easy to keep balance when you are so used to picking it up everytime it makes any kind of noise! :)
      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. Good for you in recognizing it, Krista. :) I have read of more women who are realizing they're too addicted to their phones and/or social media. I wish you the best! I love the pictures and captions of what you will do with all of this time. :) I can just imagine doing those things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Trudy! It's amazing though how many people don't hold regular conversations anymore. We were out to eat one night recently and there was a family of 4 sitting across from us. Each one of them was glued to their phone! I think God is making me sensitive to notice these things so that I don't miss out on living life! :)
      (((HUGS))) my friend!

      Delete