Most mornings I take my dog, Tia, for a walk.  Not too far you know, just about 2 miles a day through the woods and along the beach.  This particular morning I was walking through the woods and a sudden feeling of something wasn’t quite right came over me.  I checked my back left pocket of my jeans, nothing there, checked my right one, not there, just my front door key, I checked my left pocket of my jacket, poo bags in that one, my right pocket – no, not there either.   I tried to rack my brains, where was the last time I saw it?

I suddenly remembered that I had left it on the window sill of the bathroom…. oh no, MY MOBILE IS AT HOME!!

Up until discovering the loss of my mobile, I had been quite happy walking with Tia, but now I know I can’t use my phone, it’s a different story.  I think to myself, “I need to check my emails, oh I can’t.”  I think to myself, “I need to check my messages for work, I can’t.” “Oh, look at that lovely view, I could take a picture and upload it to Facebook, I can’t and I can’t.”  I was going to phone my hubby about something that was happening later on in the day, no, can’t do it.

I give myself a talking to – “Look what’s the problem?  Why don’t you just enjoy the walk, enjoy the peace and quiet, enjoy the views, you can speak to your husband in about half an hour.”  So, I do that.  I look at the trees, smell the freshness of an early morning and accept what nature is offering me.  I look at Tia running through the woods, tail wagging, excitedly following a recent scent and I think to myself that she has got the right idea, just live for the moment and don’t worry about what you might be missing in Facebook or Twitter land.

There is a word in the Cambridge English Dictionary: phubbing, this is defined as:

“The act of ignoring someone you are with and giving attention to your mobile instead.”

We’ve all done it – whether it’s glancing at your phone when someone is talking to you or texting while you’re having a meal with friends or family. A recent study found that people who used their phones while eating with friends or family said they enjoyed their meal less and felt more distracted and less engaged than those who didn’t use tech at the table. Perhaps the idea of everyone putting their mobiles in a bowl at the start of the meal and the first person to pick up their phone pays for the meal, isn’t such a bad idea?

I finish my walk and head up to the bathroom to retrieve my phone, steeling myself for the barrage of missed phone calls, unread mail and messages left on my phone.  I look at it and it’s blank, nothing, so actually nobody missed me whilst I was on my walk and the world kept turning!!

Quote: “I miss those days when you could push somebody into a swimming pool and not worry about their mobile.”