Observances

Technology has undeniably taken over today's younger generations and our entire society. It's actually quite sad, even though I'm being a bit of a hypocrite here.
There's too many times I have sat in a restaurant and witnessed young children, teens, and even adults completely ignore the company around them, and instead, they're completely absorbed with the temporary entertainment of their smart phones. 
What's so sad about these scenarios is that they're surrounded by family/friends, but they're too busy playing their favorite game for a new high score, or scrolling through their Twitter feed or Facebook news feed.
Does anyone seriously look back and say, "remember that time at dinner with my family when I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed and saw that hilarious video of my neighbor's dog? Good times." Surely not. The memories are made by telling old stories around the dinner table with your friends/family, reminicscing on old times, and laughing until you cry. It's looking back and saying, "remember my birthday dinner a couple years ago when my ex showed up with his new girlfriend and we laughed until we cried and made a huge scene in the restaurant?" or, "remember that sleepover we had together and we talked about [insert old embarrassing boyfriend from past's name], when Hannah spilled nail polish all over Mekenzie's rug, and ate candy and talked about life until 5 in the morning?" 
It's about the concrete memories that you'll never forget... the times you can look back on and still laugh and feel the contentedness that you felt in the moment of the memory. 
So, why are we planning to meet for coffee or dinner with friends or family, when all we do is sit around and play on our phones, ignoring eachother's company? Have you ever thought maybe you could do that when you're home alone and bored?
Or, when you're traveling or sightseeing, you spend so much time taking 20,000 photos and tweeting about it, or posting your photos on Facebook... to really and truly breathe, take in, and live in the beautiful moment of your life. Nothing will ever top a psychological, physical, mental memory that can make you feel the same exhilaration you felt in that very moment all over again when you reminisce. No tangible memory, such as a photo, video, etc., will ever be as beautiful as being able to think back to your first view of the Eiffel Tower and feel the same butterflies that you felt at that very moment when you were actually there. Photos will never be able to make you feel as much as your mental picture, because you're able to feel the feeling you felt as that view took your breath away. 
So, when you're out with friends/family, or sightseeing, it's okay to snap a few pictures to share with social media or to print and hang on your wall, but don't get sucked into that notification that pops up on your phone during your meal or visit. Take in the view, make memories, laugh until you cry. Don't let your phone rob you of the memories you could be making.