Technology - can't live with it, can't live without it.

Warning! Soapbox post coming...   I have a love/hate relationship with my smart phone. Up until a few months ago, I had an old school phone. I used to tell people NOT to text me. It just took too darn long for me to respond with the antiquated keypad and I'd just rather wait until I could type an email response or call them.

Now that I have one, all electronic areas of my life are accessible at all times. I can check my email, see what's happening on Facebook and text someone a question (and get an instant response because they always have their smart phone with them too). As "convenient" as it is, it's also a disruption too. It beeps, buzzes and/or vibrates anytime anything happens. If it's sitting on the counter and I hear it, I start wondering what it is and if I'm missing something exciting. Of course, I never am but it's so tempting to just run and check it. I have gotten more in the habit of leaving it in my purse when I'm home so it's not disrupting my life too much. If someone really needs to reach me, they can call me on my home phone like people used to do back in the day. I always have it on me when I leave the house - mostly in case we have an emergency or if the school needs to reach me about one of the kids.

When I wait in the pick up line at school, all the moms are sitting in their cars with their heads bowed...and not in prayer. They are pouring over something some interesting on their phone, checking their email, updating their Facebook status, who knows. Since none of them work, or at least not full time, it can't really be anything that pressing, can it? I find this is true when a group of people are standing around anywhere, for that matter. They are all checking their phones. Is it so they don't have to actually talk to each other?

In Alberta, there was a distracted driving law which prevented people from talking or texting while driving. I loved it since those crazy erratic driving, speed texting, phone yakkers scare the bejeezus out of me. I'm assuming there is no law preventing cell phone use here because everyone seems to be driving and talking all the time. Do they really have something that important to say or can they not be alone with their thoughts and heaven forbid, talk to their kids for 5 minutes?

I always turn off the car radio when I first pick up the kids from school. I'd much rather have a chance to talk to them and hear about their day. If the radio is on, they're more likely to be distracted by the song, requesting a different station or fighting about what to listen to. It's amazing the conversations that will start up and the things that will be said if you just allow a few minutes of silence to occur.

Many, many years ago, my dad got a pager for Christmas. You'd have to really know my dad to understand how funny this was. He was kind of upset by it actually. He just thought it was completely pointless. If you wanted to know where he was, just do a loop through downtown and look for his truck at the usual spots - coffee shop, library, hardware store. When you live on an island with less than 1000 inhabitants, this is possible. Needless to say, the pager went back to the store.

I've been reading this really great blog - Hands Free Revolution - about a women who gave up her distractions in favor of her kids, family friends and things that are truly important in life. It's quite inspiring and has really got me thinking about the ways I could get rid of my distractions too and shift my focus.

I'm not knocking all cell phones or gadgets by any means. I love modern technology. It's changed our lives and helps us daily in so many different ways.  I'm just going to make a conscious attempt to limit it's use so it doesn't disrupt our lives too much and keep my energy and attention away from the things and people that really matter.