Put Down the Fucking Phone

This past weekend I took a 24 hour trip to Vegas and it was awesome! I got to spend great quality time with one of my best friends and it was the best. One thing that I appreciate about our friendship is that we are rarely on our phones. Whether it was watching a 75 year old woman throw up in the middle of brunch at Hash House A Go Go, drinking fresh juice mimosas from (Mr.)Squeeze, or watching a bunch of men dancing in 3 piece suits (or no suits) at Magic Mike Live we were always present and together.
Cell phones are a blessing and very much a curse. Why? Your are less productive. You are less appreciative. You are so far away from being in the moment. 
There is nothing that I appreciate more than quality time. The presence of friends or family uninterrupted is completely irreplaceable. The older I get the more I appreciate my friends and family that have the same views that I have. Have you ever been around people that feel the need to Snapchat every moment? Have you ever sat at dinner in silence waiting for the person to finish their text, Tweet, IG post, Facebook post, etc. etc. etc. while you sit and stare at them with your laser beam eyes (or is that just me)? Most times I want to create a dramatic scene like a movie and yell, “Put down the fucking phone.” Or I want to eat all of the food on the table before they have a chance to see it and then shrug in an I don’t know what happened kind of way (all the food being gone would be my own personal hell, but maybe that’s just me). 
Did you know that as Apple products have become more popular the rate of depression in teens has also increased? This is something that is not shocking and I totally get it! You can’t get away from anyone else’s seemingly perfect lives. You can’t get away from your bully’s. I can hear what you’re saying. But what about the likes?!
One thing that has helped me be more in touch with myself and less in touch with the falsehood of social media is meditation. Lately I have been taking one night a week and just focusing on me and my presence in the universe (thanks fellow yogis for that one). I take the time to be grateful. Grateful for the strength of my body. Grateful for what I have, but mostly grateful that I can be away from every distraction outside the four corners of this room. 
Cherish the moments that you have with you friends and family. Not every second of your day has to be documented. Take it in. Appreciate the memories, and just put down the phone. 
XO

Morgan