It's been all over Facebook and Instagram and other social media sites and apps. It's very telling. What do you see going on here?
Your presence is the greatest gift you can give.
Did you know that years ago, before we had a gadget that was
approximately 3.5x6 inches, we actually sat around the table at dinner and
enjoyed each others’ company? Or in the
living room, playing board games and laughing over stupid jokes and eating
popcorn? Did you know that we went on
walks together and explored the neighborhood or new areas? Did you know that we soaked in the moment as
it happened?
Today, most of us are carried away with recording every
moment of every day. We do that through
our smart phones and tablets and computers, and we love technology. Gosh how we
love freaking technology!
Didn’t Napoleon’s brother, Kip, sing to his bride a song
about loving technology? “But not as much as you, you see! Always and forever!”
But did you know that when you are always recording, you are
looking at life through a screen, rather than with your eyes, and your brain
doesn’t quite work in the same way?
Instead of watching it happen right before you, with awe and wonder and
excitement, and all of those good feelings, you’re watching through a screen as
it happens, and thinking, I can’t wait to get this on social media so everyone
else can see it!
And we wonder why we feel like we miss out on certain
things.
We had actual conversations, about real things, not about
video games and our “friends” on a gaming platform. We could look at each other in the eye and be
close, and whisper secrets. We could
write on notepaper and fold it into an origami triangle and pass it to each
other in class. We did things
together. We could touch, feel, hear,
see, smell, FEEL… everything.
Today, we are so intrigued with virtual reality, that
anything actually depicting reality is scary.
We’ve found virtual safety being the controller of a video game in our
hands, because it’s easier to do that than to call someone on the phone and go
out for pizza.
Have you looked around at your family at a gathering, and
more than half are checking their Instagram or Facebook, because they want to
know how many likes they have from a meme they shared?
Think about it. Here
they are, surrounded by people they love, and who love them, but they aren’t
getting the serotonin and dopamine levels from those people. They are getting them raised by literal
strangers. The moment that they pick up
their phone to check the latest scores, or text, or email, they are disconnecting
themselves from the people in the room.
Twenty minutes can go by very quickly when lost on a device, and looking
up, bleary eyed, notices everyone else has gone out for a lovely walk to look
at holiday lights in the neighborhood.
We’re all guilty. Most
of us have these devices, and for our children, we have fun, educational game
apps so they can be calm and get lost in a world of virtual reality. We all do it.
I know I do, but I’m making a change.
This holiday, I’m going to put my phone in my purse, put my
purse in another room, and I’m going to enjoy my family members. I’m going to talk to them, and laugh, and
play, and go for a walk, and help prepare food, and clean up, and laugh some
more. My being present will mean so much
to them. But more than that, my being
present will help me feel better.
You see, like many people, I deal with depression. Well, hello, most artists do, ha! Remember what I said about serotonin and dopamine
levels? I’m so done with raising those
because of sharing silly memes that will quickly get forgotten, or sending a
text, or playing a stupid “find the hidden object game” and get to the next
level. I’m going to be purposeful about
raising my levels and do it the old fashioned way, and really enjoy my loved
ones.
I invite you to join me.
Being present will be the greatest gift you can give your loved ones,
and yourself.
PLEASE NOTE: NONE OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ONES THAT I'VE TAKEN. I DO NOT CLAIM COPYRIGHT. THEY ARE STOCK IMAGES.
