I’m trying to put down my phone. It’s hard. There’s so much on it than is more than a phone. In fact, I hardly use the phone portion of my phone; it’s a camera, a timer, a record-keeper, a recipe resource, an encyclopedia, a store, a radio…there’s always some good reason why I need to have it close. But I’m trying to put my phone down.

Not long ago I sat in my rocking chair to feed the baby and stopped my hand when I reached for my phone. Instead, I sat. Before long the littlest girl toddled by and I decided to observe her: how she walked, how she stooped to pick up the tiniest thing on the floor, how she tipped her head as she babbled away, how she carried her selected toys. It wad adorable! And then I wondered how much has been happening around me that I missed because my eyes were on the screen.

Putting my phone down during the day feels less efficient. But when I think of the fun expressions on my children’s faces that I’ve glimpsed or the conversations I’ve tuned into or the changing sunlight moving through the windows as our day progresses or spotting the hummingbird by our bottlebrush tree I realize there is more to life than efficiency. In some ways, I’m starting to feel like every moment that my eyes are on a screen could be better spent elsewhere.

I certainly don’t have it all figured out since even by writing this blog I am on my phone (hence why it has taken me weeks to finish). For most of my social connections it is the only way we can keep in touch, and I am thankful for the enrichment opportunities it offers. But moving forward I no longer want to feel like the majority of my life has been spent on a screen or is dependent on one. My world is bigger and richer and deeper than that; it’s time to give my spirit the chance to experience the hidden layers that are otherwise easily missed.