Be Present

One thing in particular annoyed me this Christmas break. I was playing a board game with my brothers and they were both constantly texting. I felt slighted, their full attention wasn't on the moments we were spending together, their hearts were miles away with the people they were texting. And then, I look at my own life and realize just how often I do that myself. Whether I check my e-mail or the weather, my mind is not fully present in the conversation. This isn't true for all conversations (thank goodness it hasn't reached that point yet!), but it is alarming. Have I really become such a sucker for the culture of divided attention? Do I really suffer from FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out)? I think that, in a way, we all do. We are all seekers of love; we have a fundamental desire to be known and understood, to be listened to and loved. What we don't realize is that while we are checking up on the false, immediate, and fleeting gratifications that "yes, we do matter, because 17 people liked that not-so-clever status update or tweet or whatever"; while we are doing that, we are missing out on the true, deep, meaningful validation of real relationship. This is a huge issue that has bothered me for ages, but today, this year; I am choosing to be conscious of it, to change for the better. I choose to be sincere, to be present.