In 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones.

I felt inspired to write this iteration of “Simple Tip Tuesday” because of an accident I had last week.

Don’t worry, I’m ok.  I didn’t have an accent really. Rather, it’s that I accidentally left my cell phone behind when I departed in the wee hours of the morning for yoga class. And in that short amount of time I didn’t have my phone within arm’s reach during my drive and immediately after class, when I wasn’t able to check my phone at every pause, I felt a serious sense of relief, less scatteredness, and overall calm.  I thought to myself, “I should do this more often.”

That morning, I was able to go to class and return home immediately afterwards, so I didn’t have any pressing need to have my phone with me but it sparked an idea for me.  I realized I really don’t need my phone with me at all times.

So, more often now, I put my phone in my trunk, or in my purse, in the back seat out of arm’s reach, so I’m not even tempted to text/FB/email at stop lights, or God forbid, text and drive.

It’s not just safe, it helps me practice mindfulness.  At stop lights, I can take deep, conscious breaths.  As I drive, I’m more aware of the road and the scenery.  When I arrive home, I don’t park and check my email on my phone for five minutes before going inside to be with my fiancé and three-legged-wonder-dog.  Not having my phone omnipresent removes one little layer of frenzy from my day-to-day. And don’t we all need a little less frenzy sometimes? 🙂

See, mindfulness isn’t that hard. Start where you are. (and let me know how it goes!)