Observation....

Matt and I were able to escape the plague that is upon our house on Saturday night. The in-laws came down and babysat the boys for the first time. Matt and I were so ready to get out of the house, away from children coughing all over us!

Our friend Mike was in town so we were going to meet up with him and some other friends. We had an hour or so before we were scheduled to meet so we decided to head over and check out The Red Hot. Its a bar on 6th that serves beer and yummy hot dogs! Perfect! We were lucky enough to find a table right when we walked in. We enjoyed a good IPA and some hot dogs. Matt got the Hilltop Strangler and I got a Reuben type. So yummy and cheap!

While we were sitting there, I looked around the bar and in one glance noticed five people with their eyes glued to their phones. At one table next to us, all four of the guys were completely engaged with their smart phones. It made me think what they were doing, and what was so important that they had to ignore each other to be completely enthralled by their phones. Did they not want to be together? I doubt this because just a few minutes before they were enjoying one another's company chatting about chicks (these were college age guys).

I have been guilty of logging on to Facebook while out with Matt, but this evening reminded me that the person in front of me is the most important in that moment. As a society we are slowly disconnecting from each other. It seems that people cannot unplug and simply enjoy another person's company. To turn off your phone means disconnecting with the opportunity to be the first to see someone's update. But is that really more important than the person across from you? When I see someone disengaging from conversation to get on their phone, it tells me that they think they are more important than me and what we are talking about; that they think there is something more worthwhile.
I have had this happen to me many times. I will be out with friends and we will have to stop our conversation just for them to log on to their phones. Its time for us to stop, and focus on what is really important; cultivating our relationships in person. I am guilty of this and am challenging myself to focus on what is most important to me, and that is my family and friends.