Making Face Time

One night, not long ago, I looked up from my computer and noticed that there were two other people in my family in the same room, each at his or her computer. At one point we were all on facebook.  At the same time.  Yet we spoke not a word to each other. 

Hm.

I seem to remember one morning being asked by my husband to find another spot for my computer because it stole time away from him that he wanted to spend with me. He looked forward to the times we would talk over breakfast, and when I was sitting there checking my emails, all he was able to get from me was a non-committal, "Hm?"


So I moved my preferred screened communication device to the living room. And now this.


Someone reminded me of this today by mentioning how the social media are rewriting our norms surrounding what is "sociable" and what isn't.  And I started to wonder whatever happened to "face time."  (No, not the software.)

One-on-one conversation.  Talking about important things.  Spending time just enjoying each others' company.  

I was wracking my brain last night trying to think of how to spend our 30th wedding anniversary, which is coming up in a couple of weeks or so.  I weighed the merits of this place versus that place, of this activity versus that.  And then it hit me.  We don't have to have an "activity" or a "retreat" to spend quality time together.  We just need to spend time with each other.  So, we decided to do just that - I will take a couple of vacation days surrounding our anniversary, and we can keep our daily commitments for driving our oldest to and from college, and in the meantime just spend time together without burying ourselves in electronic devices or wearing ourselves out with a jam-packed itinerary.  Reconnect.  Enjoy the other person's company.  Do things WE like to do.

It's a start.  :D