In the Personal Health column in today’s NY Times, Jane Brody writes about stopping to congratulate a young mother who was chatting to her toddler while walking along the streets of New York City recently. Brody commented that seeing this interaction between mother and barely verbal daughter was a rare occurrence in her Brooklyn neighborhood. Most parents Brody sees are chatting on their cell phones, BlackBerry’s or listening to their iPods while in the company of their young children. Brody bemoans the lack of one-on-one interaction between parents and young children and the ill effects it can have on a child’s communication development.

I too am alarmed by the lack of one-on-one communication not only between parents and children but adults and other adults. On a recent trip to Las Vegas my husband and I dined at the Voo Doo Lounge on the 52^nd floor of the Rio Hotel. The view is simply spectacular, the food very upscale and we both enjoyed our selves immensely during our visit. At an adjacent table I noticed a group of young women, obviously friends on vacation enjoying a nice evening out together. One young woman seated closest to us was absorbed by her cell phone, when she wasn’t talking on it; she was texting or checking her e-mail. This went on throughout dinner and afterwards. She barely acknowledged her dinner companions and had to be coaxed away from the phone to pose for photos at the table. I was appalled. This girl was basically saying to her friends, “you aren’t important enough for me to devote my undivided attention to.” She would have been better off staying in her room and talking on the phone rather than spending major dollars to text and chat at the table. I started to notice all of the people on the streets, at the pool, in clubs everywhere with phones seemingly permanently attached to their hands.  Particularly disturbing to me are people at live music venues talking or texting while an amazing musician performs. If you want to talk on your phone- stay home and talk or walk out of the venue- but please, I beg of you let the people who enjoy live music listen to it undisturbed by your private conversations.

Call me old fashioned our just plain out of it, but can’t we just live in this moment for a change? Do we constantly have to be in touch electronically? Is it possible to leave your phone in the car, turn off the computer and just enjoy this moment in time? I think we’re losing part of our souls because we can’t focus on the matter at hand. In our desperation to keep up with everyone and everything we are losing ourselves. In a simpler time, we read books, had conversations, sat in silence and listened to our children. When we are still and more focused we tend to notice the details, the leaves falling from the trees, the neighbor’s door slightly ajar, cobwebs clinging to trees dusted with dew, our children asking questions. All little things but perfection in and of themselves.