Lately I've been noticing that cell phones, laptops, and other "on the go" internet devices that make our live easier today also have some major downfalls.  My cell phone was supposed to help me become more connected to my friends and family, but in reality I find myself more disconnected.  I find myself checking my email on my phone then responding much later than planned and sometimes not at all.  Emails have replaced letters, texts have replaced phone calls and greeting cards have become electronic.   Having the ease of the constant connection to others has made it in some ways more difficult to connect and relate to others.  Often things are misinterpreted.  Tone of voice is an important part of communicating effectively but that is difficult to convey in writing.  Cell phones used to be used to make a call when not at home.  Now, cell phones are phones, computers, toys and instant sources of information that we carry with us constantly for fear of missing something.   I find myself more impatient and unable to wait without using it in line waiting for a cashier. They are in our pockets, purses, on our bedside tables, and even on the table while we eat.   Sometimes we forget to enjoy what is right in front of us because we are so busy worrying about what we have missed.

So this year, I, Talin Yesaie, am promising to live more in the minute. I promise to pay more attention to others, maintain eye contact, not eat with my phone on the table, text less, call more, and use more stamps.  I promise to call my friends more than "post on their wall."   I promise to use my cell phone more to make plans with others, and leave it in my purse (or maybe even at home) when I'm out carrying out those plans.  I'm planning to disconnect to reconnect in 2011, so friends, I hope you like my voice, cause you're about to hear a whole lot more of it!