by Lori Deschene

Your boss could email.  Your mother might call.  Your boyfriend could text.  A potential client might @reply.  A colleague could leave a blog comment.  Your cousin may IM with information you need to know now.

Everything seems urgent in an always-on world, where we can access each other at any time.  Even if you manage to tune everything out, odds are you feel a little distracted.

People expect you to be available and they’re frustrated when you’re not.  Or maybe it has nothing to do with them, and you just don’t want to disconnect.  Who knows what you’ll miss if you disappear into your own space for a while.

Though you may lose the opportunity to get in a conversation mere moments after it started, you’ll gain something far greater by stepping back.

When you stop being available to everyone else, you become more available to what’s in front of you.

You let go of your phone, without worrying it might vibrate, and use both hands to hug your grandmother.  You stop watching your email like a pot that hasn’t boiled, and actually taste the tea you usually multi-task.  You stop living each moment like a narrator watching and start feeling more alive in your experiences.

Be unavailable today, even if just for a little while.  Unplug, slow down, and savour this moment.  You can always get in on the conversation later – when you’ll likely enjoy it more.  Connecting with people is far more fulfilling when you feel connected to yourself.

Do happy. It’s something you’re due.

This post is republished with permission.  Find more of Lori Deschene’s writing at tinybuddha.com. Read the original post here