I tried to hide my disappointment. When my niece finally looked away from her screen, she turned to me and said: “Uncle! But you just arrived!” Her words were full of tragic irony that went unnoticed.
As I was getting up to leave, I hoped they would get it and treat this as a wake up call. Next time phones will be put aside and real communication will take precedence over virtual interruptions.
On my way home I thought about how technology that’s supposed to bring us together can sometimes do the opposite. I decided to myself that from now on I will be more mindful of my phone and spend more time with friends in person.
Reaching my front door, I stopped and looked through the window and saw the faint green light of my phone’s screen, it was fully charged and there might be missed calls or messages waiting for me. I took a deep breath and entered the room with a resolve not to check it at least for the rest of the evening because most of the notifications that matter are the ones we get from the people right next us, if only we were paying attention.
