I want you to picture this scene. I’m playing with my son in the living room. He’s got his toys out, imagining all kinds of fantastic scenarios, filling me in on the frantic fiction as he spins it. I notice a notification on my phone, so I pick it up.
It’s a work email. I skim it briefly and decide I can deal with it later. But, what’s this? A Facebook notification? Looks like someone has commented on a photo I shared earlier. I don’t want to seem rude, so I open Facebook to react to the commenter. Oh, look–my friends are on vacation and sharing photos of their dinner and-
“Dad!” my son grabs my face. “Are you here? I want to show you something.”
I was shocked. What I thought was going to be a short break to check my phone turned into a minutes-long distraction from what was going on in the room. I was missing out on a vital moment.
Has this happened to you? Maybe you were having a sublime moment with a loved one. Maybe you found some quiet time in your day to be present and let your mind rest and… that moment is shattered by a distraction.
Distractions are all around us–engineered to capture our attention and our mindspace. There are so many things to look at and think about, but most of it doesn’t concern us directly. As a result, we’re trading the fullness this moment has to offer in favor of little bits of mind-occupying media and ideas.
My son reminded me of what’s vital. Him! Us. Our relationship. Out of habit, I broke away from that shared moment to enjoy the addictive rush of information my phone offered. I was gone, and he could tell.
After that, I made a practice of putting my phone away in a drawer before spending time with my son and the quality of our time together improved dramatically. His urging was like a splash of cold water, waking me up from a dream! Since I started putting away my phone, our time together has been so much more meaningful.
vīdl moments are those moments in life that someday you’ll wish you had back. They are the clearest, and most meaningful memories you carry with you, and they speak to what truly matters in your life.
Take action in your life to remember vīdl moments and plan on creating new ones. No, you can’t force it. Sometimes hectic circumstances make it difficult. But, you can make time for it. Open up your calendar and set aside time to reconnect with what’s vital in your life.
Reconnect with meaning. Whether that means spending time with your loved ones, hitting the trail, or serving people you care about, you will be reminded of what’s important to you, helping you live a more vital life.