It’s Friday and time to link up with Lisa-Jo for Five Minute Friday. Friday is a time when we “write not worrying if everything is just right.”  You can join in the fun HERE.

Prompt: PRESENT

Being all there is sometimes a challenge for me. I delayed getting a “fancy” phone for years because I knew it would become one more hurdle to living in the moment.  Last night my husband, son, and I decided to go out to dinner.  About five minutes into the trip, I noticed I left my phone at home.  When I pointed this fact out to my family, I tried to pull it off as something I did deliberately.

“Hey guys, I left my phone at home.  I did that on purpose, you know.”

My son:  No you didn’t!

We were only away from the house for about two hours, but I must have reached for my phone ten times. It’s hard to believe ten years ago we survived just fine without needing to be connected to technology 24/7.

There are definite benefits to having immediate access to what is going on presently in the online world.  However, it always seems to be at the expense of what is going on presently right in front of our eyes.

And, the beauty in front of our eyes is like a sunset that we miss if we don’t consciously choose to open our window blinds or step outside to look up at the sky.  I have a feeling I’ve missed my share of breathtaking sunsets.

I see tweets and instagrams, and vines from people I don’t even really know.  From people, I’m sorry to say, who wouldn’t even recognize me (or I them) if I walked by them on the street or sat next to them at Starbucks. I take it all in…all at the expense of the sunset happening right now in this present moment, a beautiful sunset that is shifting and changing color so quickly. And, one day soon, that sunset might only come home from college once a week to do free laundry or share a meal with his mom and dad.

Afterword:  The online world went on just fine without me checking on it.  I’ll need to deliberately leave my phone at home again sometime real soon.