Being present is worth more than being reachable

The phone makes it possible to be accessible to many people at once. It also fragments every encounter: while speaking with one person, you anticipate the vibration of all the rest. Presence demands a temporary sacrifice. For a while, you accept not knowing what happens outside so you can receive what is happening before you. It will not always be possible; on-call duties, caregiving, and emergencies require connection. It is wise to explain this and trim the rest. Being reachable is a function. Being present is an act of relationship: you look, remember, and respond to what the conversation brings, not just its literal content. A person can wait for a text, but they need to feel that at some point they are not competing against the entire world for a fragment of you.