Technology has its’ benefits:

• You can change what you write without getting eraser dust all over the desk.
• You can add up a column of numbers while typing them.
• A good book can be downloaded in a minute.   
• A year’s worth of re-occurring meetings can be entered in a calendar with a couple of key strokes.
• Missed the game? Stream it at your leisure.
• Want to communicate with your child’s teacher?  Easy!  Send an e-mail.

Technology can be great but it also has a downside.

• People text and drive despite knowing the deadly consequences; it’s too easy and seductive to pass up.
• We are busier and more easily distracted. We attend meetings, ostensibly listening to the speaker all the while answering texts, perusing emails and watching Facebook videos.
• Children aren’t playing outdoors as much as they used to.  The CDC reports that 8 to 18 year-olds spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media – TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies.
• A recent study in Australia found that after age 25, every hour spent watching television reduces the viewer’s lifespan by 21.8 minutes.  Hours spent sitting in front of a computer are equally hazardous.
• When we approach someone in the Post Office, the grocery store or in a parking lot, we seldom acknowledge each other.  The nod, the smile, the friendly “good morning” are relics of yesteryear.  Nowadays, we’re too busy texting or talking on our cell phone to acknowledge that others exist.

What are you missing? A child’s drawing? A plea for your time? A breathtaking sunset? Telling a stranger you like her hair or his shoes & what cool socks.
What would happen if just one night a week you “forgot” your cell phone or tablet at the office?
What would it be like to spend an uninterrupted evening with your family?
No really, what would it be like?
Listen to Gary Turk ‘s video “Look Up” and follow his advice at the end.