He leaned in and whispered. Conspiratorially. I thought, perhaps he was going to tell me that he had taken up with his secretary; or that that he had fallen in love with heroin.

“I’m going to leave my cellphone behind,” my colleague confessed.

Dangerous. Foreboding. Uncharted.

Imagine, a vacation without a cellphone! (And he’s a lawyer!)

But likely difficult for too many of us to imagine.

Our phones have become like appendages… Indeed, without them, some of us actually experience phantom ringtones or vibration. We check them continuously: Studies suggest, on the average, 150 times a day; 6 to 9 times an hour; every 7 or 8 minutes.

Eighty percent of folks sleep with them. We grab them first thing in the morning. We look at them right before going to bed.

Twenty percent check their phones during sex. Some actually take calls during sex; or even update their Facebook statuses. (Seriously? During sex?)

The consequence is that we live in a constant state of distraction and overwhelm.

We find it difficult to focus; to listen; and to be truly present.

We miss the time to think, reflect, create, and be.

It’s impossible to be mindful.

Our productivity suffers; our intimacy too.

We dishonor our work; we dishonor our relationships; we dishonor ourselves.

We lose touch with that still point within us, that place of quite where our power dwells.

Experiment with giving yourself the luxury of some time away from your cellphone. Maybe just for a dinner, or a day? (Or during sex?)

My lawyer friend will likely feel a bit antsy for a time. Cellphone detox can be an unsettling thing. But, without that constant stimulation, think of the quiet, the deep relaxation… the peace and the chance to re-create.

Will you give it a try?