Cell phone use, to me, has gotten a little out of control. From the minute we wake up to the minute we fall asleep, we’re glued to our phones as we skim through email, get updates on Facebook, pin to our Pinterest boards, scroll through tweets, and read articles published by our favorite outlets. We feel naked if we leave the house without our phones. We celebrate the days that we are “off the grid.” We work on days that we are supposed to be out of office. We are always connected.
One of my biggest pet peeves is having the cell phone disrupt family and friend time. If you haven’t caught on by now, family and friend time is incredibly important to me. Living far away from a lot of my closest family members and friends, when I am with them, the last thing I want to do is have a cell phone become a distraction. Looking around the room and seeing so many people scrolling through their cell phones while “spending time” with each other often becomes very saddening to me. What about you?
So, I challenge you to put down your cell phone, especially during mealtime. Focus on the company, ambiance, food, time, cocktails, music … anything but the latest update on Facebook, the cutest pin on Pinterest, the adorable photo that just popped up on Instagram, and the hilarious tweet that was just posted to Twitter.
During the warm months, my husband and I would spend so much time on our screened-in porch. We would pour ourselves a cocktail, turn on the music, and leave our phones and computers inside the house. To us, that was our date night and we wanted to enjoy each other’s company and the conversation. That led to the dinner table as well. Never do you see us scrolling through our phones while enjoying a meal together.
Blame it on my parent’s rule that was always enforced when I was growing up: we always eat dinner together as a family. Blame it on my annoyance of how electronic devices are becoming a bit intrusive. Blame it on my desire to connect with others and enjoy the moments. One thing is certain … the electronic devices can wait … the memories cannot.
What’s your mealtime routine?
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