Vacation Unplugged

The whole (slightly awkward) family.

I vividly remember our family vacation to Panama City Beach in 2008. From our family friends surprising us on the beach the first day, my brother purchasing a bike for his first anniversary with his girlfriend (now wife), or riding the slingshot that catapulted myself and my youngest brother into the night sky at 100mph. I carry all of these memories with me, and they’re nearly palpable. And all of this was accomplished without the assistance of a smartphone. As I look forward to our return to the beach this month, I fear that we’re going to let our screens get in the way of our experience together.

Rather than sharing in the beautiful or memorable or awkward moments with those present with us at the time, society increasingly seems to value sharing these moments with our hundreds of followers on social media. We are everywhere… except in the present moment. Too often I’ve come home to all of my family members all but intravenously plugged into their iPhones (I’m guilty, too.) We’re together as a family, but we aren’t together. And I can’t speak for you, but it starts to feel pretty damn isolating to me.  It’s bad enough when it occurs in our home, but it’s a sad irony when this phenomenon happens at a time when we’re supposed to be escaping our day-to-day lives and spending time together.

I want to live this vacation. All of it. I want to be present and available to my family. I want to sit and read a book, or have honest conversations with my brothers. I want to watch the awkward things strangers do on the beach. And if I’m going to do that, something is going to have to change when it comes to my addiction to my phone.

I’m not unrealistic. I know that we’ve replaced our point-and-shoot cameras with our phones. Instead of fooling myself into thinking I’ll just turn my phone off and leave it in the condo all day, I plan to delete any apps that I waste far too much time on. This includes Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, along with my favorite time-waster, Reddit. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll leave it behind completely for a day, and truly engage with the world around me.

My plea to my family, and to anyone else, is to be more intentional in our interactions during this vacation. And maybe even past our vacation. I crave real interaction with those I love, and I don’t believe I’m the only one out there who feels this way. 

Mom and I circa 2008.