Third week (and beyond) of the respiratory flu and still no end to coughing jags and exhaustion for me. Alas, this virus was not very conducive to celebrating my birthday or welcoming a first great-granddaughter in to the world; both momentous occasions, indeed! It seems as though everyone I talk to knows someone who has this 'bug' in varying stages. I did get out of the house more this week and in doing so I kept noticing one thing in particular: people totally engrossed in their smart phones. Mind you this was not while they were by themselves...oh no. This was in the full presence of family and loved ones at the breakfast, lunch or dinner table. I saw fathers completely (and I mean completely) ignore their children during the entire meal. I saw mothers get annoyed if their little ones interrupted their mesmerized gaze in to the lighted rectangle held within their hands. I saw a couple in jogging attire that never said one word to one another, but instead were captivated by whatever they were looking at on their respective phones. Just like internet addiction, one thing about smart phone junkies is that they forget that real people exist outside of some screen. Remember to interact with those real people in your life too, please. A little cold wind and the enchantment of snow at the end of this week solidified this image in to my psyche.
©2012
Debbie Ballard
P.S. This week also made me think twice about ever wanting to take a cruise on a ship 3 football fields in length with a capacity to hold 4500 passengers. Keeling over at 90 degrees and going for an unexpected swim in frigid waters would not be my idea of fun. Is this a new feature of "all inclusive" I wonder?
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