Over dinner last night, the topic of distraction and the present moment came up. We were mostly referring to the pace and self-importance so closely ascribed to people who are never where they are. If I'm talking to someone, they're thinking about their next or last meeting. If I'm on the phone with them, they're clearly working on other things at the same time. If I send them an email, they glance at it and miss the meaning.
Our increased digitality has made this balance harder to achieve, which means we just have more opportunities to work on being present.
As I venture into fatherhood, I keep on reminding myself that lack of presence on my part isn't an option. And as important as being a dad is, this level of care for the people we communicate with, even if they aren't our children, is paramount.
We can feel when someone isn't there with us, and it sucks.
Here's to keeping our phone in our pocket when other humans are our present.