As I sat down to write my newest blog on the topic of "How America Lives," it became clear to me that I couldn't do it without talking about the device I was actually typing on -- my Blackberry. Maybe you are more iPhone and less blackberry, but whatever the device, these hand-held technological wonders have changed the way we live. (I can't make it through the morning without mine.) And thanks to them, we no longer do only one thing at a time. We walk down the street while talking on the phone. We listen to music while waiting for the bus and checking for directions on HopStop. We watch TV while surfing the web on our iPads. Our brains work on dual tracks, and our minds seem to never stop.
But, today I'd like to ask you all to push the pause button. Don't get me wrong, I'm right there with you. I land in a city and by the time I have the rental car, Yelp has already informed me of the best antiques stores in a 50 mile radius that I might want to hit up. I totally get the allure. What little patience I had before has gone right out the window. Why wait for... anything? We don't have to. Type one sentence into google and an encyclopedia of information instantly returns or a mammoth list of what to do with our weekends pops up in seconds. But, sometimes you have to disconnect from your device to connect back to your life.
When you're doing 3 things at once, you're not fully present for any one of those tasks, and I think there are moments in our day that require us to be fully present. When you say "Honey, I'm home," be home. By that I mean be home in mind, body AND spirit. Plug in to what's going on around you. Because what goes on around you at home is really what matters most. Home is where we begin the day over cereal and coffee with those we love. It's where we build tent cities in the living room and have movie night with our kids. It's where birthday candles are blown out and prom pictures are taken on the front porch. It's also where you get to decide what you love and then design your life and your space around it.
As I sat down to write "The Things That Matter," I knew one thing, if I could empower people to believe that living with what matters most to them is what matters MOST, period, the end, then I'd done my job. And, if it matters to you that you get to check your Twitter feed one last time before bed, then that's okay - who am I to judge with my blackberry safely tucked next to my pillow.
For more from my book and Target collection now available at Target.com/NateBerkus follow me at @Nate_Berkus
