Me Thinks

I was assigned to do a simple experiment this weekend and write a one page paper about it:

Last night I went five hours without using my cell phone from 7:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.as assigned.  This was a great exercise for me because it had been a very busy and unusual week and my husband and I had not been with each other nor conversed very much.  To give background as to why this experience was needed, I will briefly list a few things we dealt with this week:  a funeral in Idaho, a viewing in Salt Lake City, my brother in the Hunstman Cancer Center with complications from cancer surgery which necessitated me spending a couple of nights and days there with him, schoolwork, church meetings, work, and so on.

             I put my phone in my purse at 7:15 when my husband and I met up because I thought that this would be a good time to “reconnect” with my husband and visit with him, without the distraction of the phone.  My mistake was that I did not initially turn off my phone and so for the next 45 minutes I heard it ringing and buzzing and it was a continued distraction.  I wondered who would be calling me and if I was needed somewhere.  Finally, I reached in my purse and held the phone long enough to turn it completely off.  I had to engage in some strong self-talk to convince myself that my brother at the hospital would be OK, that any children or grandchildren that needed me could wait, and that I would be just fine turning off the phone and paying attention to my husband for five hours.    Putting my phone away and turning it off really helped me to enjoy the moment.  I felt lucky to be at a BYU football game with my husband on a pleasant-weather night. I noticed that with my phone put away I looked up more.  I noticed the beauty of the night, the bugs up by the stadium lights, the temple in the background, the clouds in the sky and I definitely saw more football than I usually do.  I have been to football games before when I haven’t really been there.  Last night I visited with my husband, with other family members, and with the lady sitting next to me who I had previously never met.  For five hours, I was distraction free and I really enjoyed it.