Leave the phone

I'm officially annoyed at smartphones and the zombies behind the screens.

Someone waiting in line behind you? I bet they've whipped out their phone to aimlessly scroll Facebook. Someone pulling up to the gas pump but just sitting there? They've pulled out their phone to send a text before getting out (which is better than doing so while driving, of course). Someone walking into the store? Their phone is out, too, and I'm surprised more people don't get killed while looking down at their screens.

Can we stop already?!

I am just as guilty at some of the above scenarios, and I've become annoyed at myself. I want to stop this dumb habit. Can I not handle a few tedious seconds without having to distract myself? How do I expect my kids to believe me about the joys of a life lived outside the confines of a screen if they see me reach for my own phone constantly, like it's a pacifier of sorts?

There is no email that can't wait until later in the evening, after the kids are in bed. Now that everyone has smartphones, this urgency is self-created. We expect instantaneous replies. When did this change happen? It's unrealistic and it's unfair. We have lives to live, and it's hard to do much living when we're staring at our phones all day.

I'm trying, again, to put my phone away more and enjoy what's in front of me. It doesn't mean that this change will happen overnight, but I am hoping that I will "forget" my phone more often and realize I need it a lot less than society tells me I do.