Damn. I Left My Phone in the Truck.

I was on my way to my next appointment when I realized I had a little extra time. Enough time to actually stop and have a quick bite instead of pulling through the closest fast-food drive-thru and slamming down another heart attack in a bag.

Then I saw it.

Look. There’s a diner.

Perfect.

I pulled in, walked inside, found a seat at the counter and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, side salad and an unsweet tea. Food was on the way.

Then I reached for my phone.

Damn. I left it in the truck.

You know the drill. Do I get back up, walk outside and get it?

Of course I do.

I mean, what if somebody calls? What if I get a text? What if an email comes in that absolutely, positively has to be answered before my next appointment? What if somebody posts something on LinkedIn and I don’t know about it until after lunch?

And God forbid, that chicken sandwich might look good enough for me to take a picture of it and post it on Instagram.

C’mon.

My unsweet tea was already sitting in front of me. The phone could stay in the truck.

So I sat there.

At first, it felt a little strange. No phone sitting beside me on the counter. Nothing lighting up. Nothing buzzing. Nothing to grab during that three-second lull when there wasn’t anything else going on.

So I did something pretty unusual these days.

I looked around.

There was a guy a couple stools down from me. We nodded. A few minutes later one of us said something. I don’t even remember who started it.

And we talked.

I don’t remember everything we talked about either. That really isn’t the point. The point is that we probably wouldn’t have talked at all if my phone had been sitting on the counter.

Not because phones are bad. Mine is pretty damn useful. It connects me to customers, friends, family, information and just about anything else I want to know.

But sitting there that day got me thinking.

So…are you connected?

A. Connected to your phone, tablet and the digital highway.

B. Connected to your family, friends and personal life.

C. Connected to where you actually are, without enough distractions to keep you from listening, meeting somebody or learning something new.

D. All of the above.

I’m definitely D.

At least that’s what I’m shooting for.

Because I don’t think A is the problem. The problem starts when A crowds B and C out of the seat.

Maybe that’s what happened to me sitting at that counter.

For a few minutes, I had disconnected from the circus that runs so much of our daily lives. The calls. The texts. The emails. The appointments. The news. The constant need to know what’s happening and what somebody needs from us next.

We spend a lot of time under that tent.

So much that every once in a while we forget there’s a pretty big world outside of it.

Sitting at that counter without my phone, I wasn’t disconnected at all.

I had just stepped outside the tent.

There were people around me I didn’t know. Conversations I hadn’t heard. Things happening that had absolutely nothing to do with the little circus I carry around with me every day.

And for a few minutes, I was part of that world instead.

Your phone can show five bars and you can be completely disconnected from what’s happening three feet away. Or your phone can be sitting out in the truck with absolutely no idea what’s going on...

and you can be connected as hell.

Everybody knows something you don’t. But every once in a while, you have to look up long enough to meet them.

Think about that one for a minute.

When was the last time you had a conversation with somebody you didn’t already know?

Not because you needed something. Not because you were networking. Not because LinkedIn suggested you connect.

Just because you happened to be sitting next to each other.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe you laughed. Maybe you learned something. Maybe they did.

Or maybe you just had a good conversation over a grilled chicken sandwich, side salad and an unsweet tea.

That’s enough.

Eventually I finished lunch, paid the tab and headed back out to the truck.

And there it was.

My phone.

Right where I’d left it.

The world hadn’t ended. I hadn’t missed anything that couldn’t wait. And I’d had a healthy lunch and a conversation with somebody I probably never would have met otherwise.

All because I had a little extra time between appointments, passed up slamming down another heart attack in a bag and pulled into a diner.

I’m not leaving my phone in the truck on purpose from now on.

Let’s not get carried away. After all, my next meal may earn that Instagram picture.

But the next time I sit down somewhere and realize my phone is still sitting out there, I’m not so sure I’m going back to get it.

Maybe sometimes the best connection is the one you didn’t plan on making.

And come to think of it...

For both my mental and physical health, the diner was probably my best option.

So here’s a question.

Are you going to step outside the tent today...or are you content living within the circus?

See you next week…

The journey continues.

— HAMP