By: Suri Stern
Can anyone forget the scene in The Sound of Music, when Fraulein Maria takes the Von Trapp children on a boat, and they are so excited to see their father, they all stand up at once and topple the boat over and fall into the water fully clothed and happy as can be.
I saw the same recently at Far Rockaway beach. There were two boats of Hispanic families rowing to the beach. The family in one of the boats was so happy to be together that as they were approaching the beach, the kids stood up and the boat toppled over spilling the content of the boat, namely the family, fully clothed into the water.
The boats were on loan by the two men from a boat rental company for whom they work. One of their perks is that they get to use a boat on their days off. I joked with them, that I should work for the company as well, and they seriously responded that I wouldn’t like to make $8/hour.
They fooled around in the water and as the day was ending they [illegally] took out a little barbecue and were grilling dinner on the beach.
I watched them for perhaps 2 hours.
It dawned on me.
I didn’t hear one cell phone ring, nor did I see any cell phone amongst the six adults.
I was at a carnival recently with many families whose adults made more than $8/hour, and almost each one of them had a cell phone attached to hands and ears, with kids pulling at them, but eema, but abba, we want this or that, or this ride or that ride, or this toy or that toy, or this food or that food.
I know it is hard to detach.
But the look of the children as they splashed their parents, and in return their father water tackled them. Not possible with a phone in hand.
Digging sand together, making sand castles. Not possible with a phone in hand.
Staying in the present. No need to be the star of your Facebook friends.
Sure they wont have their pictures on Instagram before they leave the beach. They wont have a hundred selfies in a thousand poses, but in their minds, thoughts and feelings, this day is engraved as part of their inner photo portfolio, no not as their photo portfolio, their psycho emotional portfolio that allows them to feel secure that they have a family, that they spend time as a family, that they are prioritized over the Facebook pix. The Phoneless Wealthy? Priceless.