True Connection

There's such an emphasis these days on staying connected with people in our lives-but not the way we really should, in my opinion. The primary means of communication are through social media, text and instant message. They all have their places and uses but it's really gotten out of hand. I don't have a lot of pet peeves, but one of my biggest ones is people who check their cell phone all the time when they're with you. I won't even begin to pretend I'm not guilty of this-I am and it galls me. But I'm trying to break myself of it. Before anyone jumps in and says, "Well what about..." -I get it. I'm a parent, too. If the child is sick, you're expecting them to call to let you know they made it safely to some destination, etc., that is completely acceptable. That's not even what I'm referring to. What I'm mainly referring to is when you're with a friend or even a family member (yes, this has happened to me) and they've asked you to have lunch, go for coffee or whatever...and instead of talking to you, they've got that cell phone laying face up on the table and keep glancing at it like it's going to burst into the Hallelujah Chorus any minute. I've even had family members checking their email right there while I was trying to answer a question THEY asked me! (so....you didn't really want to know the answer? I'm just background noise?) Again, I have been guilty of checking my text messages or IM's  but lately I've been doing something unheard of: I put the phone on vibrate or silent, stick it in my purse and actually talk to the person I'm with. Thinking ahead so that I won't be interrupted unless it's an absolute emergency, I let people know (my mom, Chris, etc.) that the phone will most likely be off or I may not hear it and to leave a message. I mean really-what did we do before cell phones? I'm not too young to remember. For one, we actually looked at people when they were talking to us and really got to know them! That friend who has asked you to lunch may really  need  someone to talk to about a crisis in their life or may just need a sympathetic ear. If they were important enough for you to ask to lunch, can you at least give them that one hour's attention? Surely they rate at least that. The world is not going to come to a standstill if you don't answer that text for a few minutes. Time is precious and so are the relationships with the people around us. They need to know they are worth your time and at least a little of your undivided attention. So if you're my friend or family member and you see me checking my texts when you're trying to talk to me, you have my permission to remind me that I said all this and to ask me to put away my phone, because I'm really putting forth an honest effort to make sure that the person I'm spending time with knows I think they are important and that I'm there to listen and interact WITH THEM.