I broke up with my phone the other day. We were spending entirely too much time together, and quite honestly, the relationship was beginning to feel a little co-dependent.
My phone was not happy about this at all. “What do you mean, too much time together? All I ever want to do is share everything inside of me with you!”
“That is exactly the point!” I replied. “I just go on to check my email and end up getting lured into all sorts of other things. Before I know it, I’ve spent half an hour looking at things I never even knew I needed to know!”
“But I’m only trying to keep you informed! And look how much you laugh when you watch those funny reels!”
I certainly didn’t want to hurt my phone’s feelings, so I tried to be gentle.“I really do appreciate everything you have to offer. It’s just that I have so many other things I want to be doing. So here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll still be together when I’m working, but the rest of the time, you’re going to stay in my office.”
There was a long silence.
“What about all the people who send you messages and expect an immediate answer?” “They’ll just have to wait,” I replied.
“But what if it’s an emergency?”
“Don’t worry about that. My intuition will alert me!”
My phone, of course, had no intention of giving up so easily. Every time I would walk past my office, I could hear it calling out to me. “I’m right here! Come check your email! You might have something important!” Or, “Someone just posted something really interesting!”
Or my personal favorite, “You have a memory from five years ago today!” As if I could possibly go another minute without knowing what I was doing five years ago!
We’ve pretty much settled into our new relationship, although there are still times when I find myself spending much more time with my phone than I had planned. My phone is always quite gleeful about that. “I just knew you’d come back!”
“It’s only temporary,” I tell it. And then I put it down. Well, sometimes….
But at least I have come to realize that perhaps this isn’t really about breaking up with my phone. It’s about remembering that there is a whole world waiting for me outside of that little screen. People to connect with, things to create, moments to enjoy, and a life to actually live. So I’ve decided to be more present, listen to my intuition, and spend more time enjoying the here and now.
And just as I was congratulating myself on this wonderful new commitment, my phone lit up. “Congratulations! You’ve just earned a badge for reducing your screen time!”
I couldn’t stop laughing! “Okay, Phone, you win this round!”
😍Love, Lee and My Phone📱
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