“Stressed out, running late, racing down the interstate, spilled hot coffee down the front of my jeans. It’s work, work, pay the rent, money and my time’s spent, not a minute left for me to be me. Been going like nothing can wait, I gotta get my priorities straight…” – Kenny Chesney
First off, did you hear the news that Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will be touring together this summer?! Sad news: they won't be playing in my hometown as part of the Country MegaTicket. Good news: they'll be playing in Indianapolis!
Secondly, two blog posts in two days?! This has to be a record.
After a few weeks of what felt like nonstop work, I headed over to Starbucks for a little getaway this morning. I got to call some of my friends and caught up with all of my family. As I was sitting there enjoying my grande skinny vanilla latte, I started people watching. Side note: people watching is my favorite thing to do at concerts and airports. Creeper? Maybe. Anyways, as people kept trickling in, there was one constant.
Every. Single. Person. Was glued to their phone. No conversation between anyone.
Now remember. You’re talking to a girl who facilitates conversation workshops as part of her job; a girl who has been trained to hold a 20 minute conversation with a complete stranger; a girl who has to make friends with collegians within 5 minutes of them picking me up at the airport for it to be a successful visit. And, don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone. I probably wouldn’t survive without it. But seriously, people. This is just crazy to me. You really can't just stand in line without being glued to your phone?! Two people even ran into each other because they were so focused on their phones. Really?! Stop and smell the roses! Get those priorities straightened out and enjoy this life that we are so lucky to have. I really don’t know how some people survived before we had everything at our fingertips!
Maybe it’s because I hopped on the technology train much later than everyone else since I didn’t have a phone with a media plan until 2 days before I left for this job. Maybe it’s because I live out of 2 suitcases and literally travel with only the essentials. Maybe it’s because one of the life lessons I’ve learned so far with this job is that less really is more. Maybe it’s because I’ve learned to appreciate things that a lot of people take for granted because I don’t have those luxuries out on the road.
So, put that phone down and take a minute to enjoy the little things in life. Remember what it was like a few short years ago when you actually had to TALK to someone to communicate with them! And while you’re at it, talk to a stranger while waiting in line at Starbucks!
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” – Walter Hagen
