A quick meal by myself.

Soon after leaving work today I stopped by the local Chick-fil-a for quick bite before class. Today was our final test, a 3 hour marathon, so I wanted to be sure 'hunger' would not impact my performance.

When I pulled up to the parking space I lingered in the car to finish listening to a story on 'All Things Considered.' When it was done, I carelessly stepped out of the car and went in to the restaurant. Once inside I realized I left my phone behind. It was a weird feeling. I have a DROID phone which means I'm always connected to cyberspace and it is not uncommon for me to check Facebook/Twitter, etc. while on a break. This time was different. I did not go back to the car for my phone  so there I sat with my food in front of me and I was totally alone.

I'm no stranger to having a meal 'alone', which I should work on but that's outside the scope this post, but I do so with phone in hand. This time it was just us: the food and me. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable experience. I simply consumed my food, let my mind wander and busy itself with no more than the brief distraction of a car driving by. I'm sure people were still sending out twitter/facebook updates but I was unaware of whom checked in where, posted photos, liked something, etc.  It was very relaxing and arguably the best way to pass the time before the long and timed test that awaited me.

Once reunited with my phone I checked the feeds for each application but it was not lost on me how much my behavior has changed since these things are so omnipresent in my life. But I don't 'need' to be plugged in all the time. Sometimes is good to just be and slow down even if the result is writing about an unplanned moment of reflection and posting it to web.