To the Young Man at Panera
To the Young Man at Panera
August 12, 2023
Read time: 2 minutes
To the young man I encountered at Panera.
Out to lunch with your girlfriend, sitting across the table from her.
Glued to your phone screen, not interacting with her at all.
A letter
Hey man,
Sorry to interrupt. I know this is out of the blue. I just want to share something with you.
Is this your girlfriend?
Look at her.
She’s beautiful (no, I’m not trying to steal your girl. I’m happily married).
She’s right here, giving up a portion of her day to spend exclusively with you.
Man… Why are you staring at your phone? Leaving her alone, even though you’re right here?
What could be so captivating in your digital world that is worth ignoring the beautiful girl physically here in front of you?
Put the phone down man. Look into her eyes. Talk to her.
I promise: you won’t regret it.
I promise: what you’ll find in her eyes is worth far more than what you’ll find on your screen.
Look at her.
Missing the beauty
This message is to a real guy I noticed at Panera recently. I never communicated this to him, although I was tempted to.
Shortly thereafter, my wife shared with me a conversation she had with two of her recently-married girlfriends. They were both frustrated with all of the time their new husbands spent gazing into their screens vs. spending time with them.
It’s a problem, guys & girls. We’re missing the beauty in front of us, in favor of colored pixels on a screen.
I do it. I’m sure you do too.
Let’s stop. Me & you.
Let’s do more eye-gazing & less pixel-gazing.
You with me?
This week's action step
When you’re with someone, whether a significant other or a friend, commit to being present to them.
Put your phone away. Shut if off. Be with them.
Extra credit: Report back. I’d love to hear how it goes.