Dear Kid,
A few days ago I was sent a text. I replied about 15 minutes after I got it. Later, the sender said to me, “What’s the point of having a cell phone if you don’t have it with you all the time?”
I showed great restraint and said absolutely nothing.
It wasn’t easy.
What I wanted to say was, “What’s the point of being human if you’re plugged into your phone 24 hours a day?”
Communication in our day and age is wonderful. We get to talk and text with people near and far. We get to see pictures of newborns (Congrats, L). We get to find out good and bad news practically as soon as it happens.
But taking time to unplug is important too. The Puppy is unimpressed with cell phones. The flowers couldn’t care less about the latest box scores. The rabbit is far more concerned about finding clover than about what’s hot on Twitter. The squirrels are too busy plotting their next attack to contemplate anything.
Don’t get me wrong. I love being connected and I love hearing from you (you should feel free to call your mother any time). But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to reply to a text 15 minutes after it’s sent (at least most of the time). And I think Mother Nature has a good idea about putting the tech away every now and then.
Would you believe that at points I don’t respond to a text until the next day!? Call me crazy…. Btw, the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and the loons glide by occasionally on Knickerbocker pond.
The next day? You wild woman, you….