This morning Julia handed me her little piece of technology as if it was a gift. Surprised, I asked what she was doing."I'm taking a break from my iPod. I don't want to be distracted. I'm going to read books instead."
Last night, Suzanna spent almost the entire evening at the piano, learning to play the beginning of the Danube Waltz. It made me so happy to see her at something other than FaceBook.
It wasn't all that long ago that we didn't have these little screens that absorb so much of our time and distract us from the things we'd really like to do. Now they seem to demand our attention multiple times a day, if not all day long. I often wonder if we are going to be a tech-addicted society until kingdom come. You know it's gotten really bad when people in the same room text each other.
Can you turn off your device for a few hours? A full day? A week or longer? Too many of us rely on these things for work and communication to the point that we barely remember how life was before... and as much as we'd like to cop a break, our work or our commitments demand that the phone stays on.
Of course, there is a really simple solution to tech addiction. Turn the devices off! At least for a few uninterrupted hours a day. Or, as Julia did, hand a device to someone who will put it away in an unknown place. And... learn to play a song on the piano. Read a book or magazine. Write a note to a friend. Go for coffee with someone. Get some fresh air. Be fully present.
In other words, live in the real world instead of a virtual one.
P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Click here.
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