“Summer flew by!”
I’ve heard that a lot these past few weeks.
For the first time in my life, summer didn’t fly by, and here’s why this summer felt so different.
Earlier this summer, I went paddleboarding at the lake. I tucked my phone and car keys in my beached kayak and headed off on the paddleboard. After a few minutes, my watch alerted me, “Susan Wheeler has been left behind.” Of course, my watch and phone are linked and good ole Siri was just doing her job – but it took a minute to register.
Ironically, I thought, “NO! Susan Wheeler has NOT been left behind! Susan Wheeler is right here, present in this very moment!”
I saw a fish jump out of the water and splash back in, creating a circle of ripples. A minute later, a family of mallards made a noisy take-off to put a little distance between their flock and me. I could see the weeds swaying beneath the water and the clouds skating across the sky. I thought about how my balance has improved and how good I’ve gotten at paddleboarding. It felt good to be fully immersed in my excursion without any distractions at all, especially my phone.
The problem with our phones is they take us away from our experiences and our relationships. Staying plugged in all the time stunts us mentally and limits us from listening, enjoying, feeling, and understanding.
Of course, there are benefits too! Besides fabulous features like an excellent camera and alarm clock, my phone has been detrimental in helping me build my business. It all depends on how we choose to use it.
I’ve done an excellent job at eliminating distractions this summer, and setting my phone aside more often than I use it has made all the moments seem bigger and brighter.
Recently I watched a friend at a party, glued to his phone. I’ve been there. Immersed in another world and everything around us gets tuned out, like white noise. That night, I was fully present. I heard stories and laughter and witnessed a brilliant, blazing sunset. I didn’t even have my phone available to capture it in a photo.
Have you ever driven somewhere and not remembered the drive? It’s because we’re distracted. Either we’re talking on the phone, listening to the radio, or simply zoning out, and we arrive at our destination, wondering how we didn’t crash.
I noticed that my “vision” is clearer, my memory is sharper, and time moves slower when I’m present in the moment. Essentially, I get more out of everything I do.
The world offers us plenty of distractions without having to pile on more of our own.
Time will never stand still, but when we are actively engaged, there seems to be more of it.
