So I have become more aware recently of how much time I spend on my phone. This little handheld device that holds so much power. Messages, emails, games, social networks, shopping apps, music, pictures...everything is available at the swipe of a finger. And I kind of hate it. I guess it's a love-hate relationship though. I love being able to keep in touch with my friends and family, to see their lives through immediate pictures, videos and messages. I love a good scroll through Zulilly, or the occasional game of candy crush. But I hate how often I find myself checking to see if any of those pictures, videos, messages or new sales have come in.
Most of the time spent on my phone is when I'm nursing. It's hard to read a book because I can't really turn the pages without a certain someone becoming distracted. Instead, I read on my Kindle app, one hand, one finger and I am all set. Even in the dark. But even then, I find myself thinking, put the phone down and stare at this amazing being in your arms. So most of the time, I do. I put the phone down and play with Kennerly's hair, stroke her soft little cherub cheeks, hum or sing to her and marvel at the miracle that is my baby girl. (But if I am being completely honest, this doesn't last the entire nursing session, which at night can sometimes be more than 20 minutes...)
However wonderful that may be, I still find myself on my phone way more often than I would like. And it's not even on purpose. If I open the phone to check a message or respond to an email, my fingers just glide right over to Facebook and see there's a little red number notifying me of some activity on my page. So, I click and get lost in Facebookland. I don't really care what people ate for breakfast or who is drinking a pumpkin spice latte, but my eyes scroll through the page anyway. Then I get lost until I hear a little giggle or shout from my baby because she sees Tiger walk into the room. Then, I put my phone down and watch her interact with her kitty cat. Then she moves on from that to a toy, or to rolling around the living room pulling apart her puzzle play mat. And I think to myself, "she was doing all this adorable stuff while I was sitting her with my face buried in my phone." Nothing like a child to make you live in the moment.
I have taken Facebook off my phone before, many times. And it actually feels good to not have that constant "need" to check what's going on. But then, I end up compensating with Instagram or just more browsing on Zulilly. So...my new goal is to weed out the apps in my life. First to go (again) will be Facebook. Doesn't mean I'm leaving the Facebook world (still have an ipad and laptop to waste time on) but it wont be at the touch of a finger anymore. Which silly enough, feels liberating? It sounds stupid to me even as I write it...but that is how it feels. Then, probably byebye to Instagram and Pinterest. Next would be Zulilly (that's gonna be hard...I am a sucker for cute baby stuff and sales at the touch of a button) then candy crush and dots (which is another favorite time-waster) until I have nothing left really but email and texts. And of course, WhatsApp for my M7 chat because I know I couldn't go a day without that.
The convenience and helpful apps, like waze, weather, music, camera, that sort of thing, those will stay. I don't spend much time wasting away on those. Although I do sometimes find myself watching videos of Kennerly when she is sitting right in front of me...tell me how that makes sense!
Anyhow, I thought I would share. I can't be the only one who feels like this. I look forward to being more present in everyday life. To not sit on the couch with my husband while I peruse the internet on my phone and he reads The Blaze. To watch my baby girl play with her toys and get excited when I read to her. No more living parallel. I'll let you know how it goes:)
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