If 2021 has reminded us of anything, it’s this:
Life is fragile.
As such, the number 96 may not mean anything to you, but perhaps it should.
(No it’s not the number of times I went to Target last week. But if you see a silver Infiniti pulling in – mind ya business.)
According to research, it’s the frequency in which we check our phones per day.
That’s once every ten minutes.
This time is typically used to like the posts of people on the internet. However, we often go days and months without acknowledging the most significant people in our lives.
Isn’t that a headscratcher?
Not to sound like John Lennon, but imagine a world where we actually reached out to people when we thought of them…
…Where we lived undaunted, impervious to pride, and sent the “I love you” text because our next moment isn’t promised.
We hold the conduit in our hands to ignite relational ripple effects, but we’re opting to sleep on those opportunities – allegedly as often as 96 times a day.
That stings.
Let’s up the number by 4 and be 100 percent real: No one – and I mean no one – is too busy to fire off a simple “thinking of you” or “Have a good day.” These seemingly insignificant words could mean the world to the recipient.
Instead, we’re overstimulated by social media and embrace the silence between us.
Or there’s too much to say, so we say nothing at all.
We play games, get good at ghosting, and evade honest exchanges in an effort to attain an artificial upper hand, often at the cost of losing people for good.
Dare I say the art of pursuit has all but evaporated into thin air? *And all the women said amen*
These self-preserving behaviors can be not only toxic but they can also be inadvertently passed down to our kids if we’re not careful. Vulnerability is hard, but living with unsaid words might be even harder.
So let’s be more intentional with our words, for time is not on our side.
And if one moment can change our life, one message can too.
Texting from Target,
Meredith
*research was conducted by global tech care company, Asurion
