Our mobile devices can be an amazing tool to connect with others. However just as a hammer can hit a nail to build, it can also hit a hand to hurt.

Our three children grew up and ran away from home.  Our dog Cooper gave us a look as if to say, “Well, can we go for a walk now?”

So my wife Sue and I grabbed the leash and took Cooper for a walk.  We went through the park and I noticed a young dad with his little daughter at the swing set.  The daughter looked to be about 4 years old adorable.  The little girl had the biggest smile on her face as only a little child can in the pure joy of swinging up higher and higher.

The dad, on the other hand, was leaning against the pole of the swing set glued to his mobile device.  As the little girl would slow down, she would call over to her dad to give her a push, “Daddy!”  Without even looking at her, he just leaned over and gave her a push and then back to his screen.  She would slow down once again and call over, “Daddy.”  Again, without glancing at her he would give her another push.

I wanted to walk over to him and say, “You know, my little girl was four and she is twenty-nine now and she lives really far away.  I don’t get to do that anymore and I really miss it.  Whatever you are staring at on your screen will never be more important than what is truly at hand, the time with your daughter, but you must be present to win.”

I am surely not the only person pointing out how disconnected we are becoming with people right in front of us.  However, I will join the chorus and encourage all of us to be fully present with the one we are with at that moment.  To make meaningful connections that enrich our lives and the lives of others each day we must be present to win.