Cellular Cleansing

The last couple of months in the work place made me truly reassess the lifestyle of Corporate America. Knowing my days were numbered, I was suddenly endowed with an objectivity that I had never before possessed. My first week on the job, my manager sent me off to buy a Palm Pilot and a cell phone. I needed to be "wired in" to be a Sales Executive.....and that is the manner in which I spent the next several years. I had restaurants on speed dial in case I had to work late. I called my husband every time something occurred to me that I wanted to share (or nag about). Poor Dave. I called my mom, my customers, my friends, all from that phone. I remember taking it with me to the gym and setting it on the treadmill where the water is supposed to be held. But, as I was wrapping up my last couple of months at work, my relationship with my cell started to fall apart. I would leave her in the car overnight. She would lose her charge and I would forget to charge her. Soon, we were not so inseparable. And, as amazing as it sounds, my customers were still very well taken care of.

One day, while using the office restroom, I came to a lucid understanding of how out of control and crazy we have gotten with our technology. The woman in the stall next to me was, well, she was planning to be there for a while. The whole time I was in the restroom, she was deep in conversation with a client, friend or someone who hopefully did not know what she was doing. And then, when I thought it was as bad as it could get, she parked one call while she took another. What in the heck are we thinking? Is this why at my OB/GYN office it says "No Cell Phones"? Are we now trying to chat on the cell while getting their annual exams?

One of the changes I have made to our budget is switching our home phone package to offer only local calling and keeping one cell phone with the smallest package available for long distance calls to family and friends. This is saving $80 per month ($960 per year). Now my cell phone that was always at the ready has to be holstered and minutes are being rationed.

I was in the car the other day reaching for the phone in order to call my husband regarding some mundane detail that seemed so important at the time, when I stopped myself. I remembered the minute limitation and came to some interesting revelations. I was in a traffic jam on the highway and looked to my left and my right, in front of me and behind me. Three out of four people were on their phones talking or texting. I went to the store and realized that it's not just schizophrenics that appear to be talking to themselves anymore. Bluetoothes galore, I Phones, Blackberries, Cell phones...talking, texting, e-mailing. We are becoming so disconnected and have stopped being present simply becasue we are overconnected.

What are we getting from all of this? I see the benefits (because I watch commercials). We can go to the beach with our kids in the middle of the work day, we can go to the store, take a long lunch etc. But, we are no longer present at any one activity, or in any one situation. Many of us have stopped having conversations with the teller, the cashier and the butcher. Many of us take calls while dining with friends and while spending time with our kids.

I have always known that this journey into financial savings would lead me to ecologically friendly choices, but I had no idea that it would also lead to community minded choices as well. My goal this week is to be present in every situation. When I call my mother this weekend, I will be in a chair undistracted with coffee in one hand, the phone in the other and my full attention on the line. When I shop this week I will greet those around me, say hi to the butcher and learn the name of the cashier. And when I am in the restroom....I will be IN THE RESTROOM!

Next Week.......Building our New Community