My oldest daughter played Margot in Anne Frank this weekend. This was her first school play and she loved every minute of it. We were not allowed to take pictures or video so I don’t have any pictures of her to show off 😦

The play was obviously very serious and the ending was very moving. There were many people weeping at the end. I was so impressed with everything about the production. One of the things that struck me the most was what the theater teacher said before the performance.

He asked the audience to turn off all cell phones for the entire length of the play. He reminded us that the play was about real people and real events. The events were those that we should always remember so they would not be repeated. Then he said, “Your world is so much bigger than those four inches. Be present. Allow yourself to feel and experience this story. Don’t limit yourself to what goes on in those 4 inches.” I really loved that!

I love to plan parties and have a reason to celebrate different things. One of the things that bothers me the most when hosting a get-together is seeing people sit around on their phones. They play games on their phones when they could be playing games with the people present in real life. They “talk” to people who aren’t there, but ignore the ones in the same room with them. How much damage is happening to our relationships because of our obsession over our phones?

This Thanksgiving, I think we should focus on putting down that 4 inch phone (or however big it is) and be truly present with the people who are with us.