My husband and I were at a local craft brewery* when he noticed a couple at the end of the bar.
He later told me that the man was on his phone most of the time, while the woman looked as if she felt like a third wheel.
Keith thought that behavior was rude–and yet it is so typical. I too am guilty of looking at my phone at times when I shouldn’t. To be fair, sometimes we do look at our phones while together, with the understanding that we both want to. But in this case, it appeared that time meant for engagement between two people was superseded by the phone conversation the man was having.
Perhaps it was important. Perhaps it was work related. And perhaps not. I’ll never know. But I’d venture to guess that 80% or more of the times when we immediately drop what we are doing to look at the incoming notification on our phones, it is not necessary to react that quickly.
Next time you get a notification on your phone, use it as a reminder to breathe instead of taking immediate action. Take a glance if you must (after all, emergencies do happen) but if you’re with someone, and you see it’s not an emergency, deal with the text/call later and focus on the “real life” experience. You’ll survive, and so will the person who called or sent you a text.
*If you drink, please do so very responsibly.