“That’s a hit,” says my fiancé, Ryan. “You sunk my battleship.”

“Yay!” I fire back. “That’s three times in a row that I’ve smoked you in this game.”

This scene has become a familiar sight in our living room. We sit on opposite sides of the couch, careful to hide our boards so the other can’t peek at where our ships are located.

However, our nights were not always like this. Many evenings, Ryan would return from work to find me 30 minutes deep on my scrolling journey, mindlessly swiping through social media and rarely coming up for air.

He would sit beside me, consumed in his own world of Facebook Marketplace deals and news updates. We were OK with that. And then we weren’t.

Reality check

For some odd reason — and maybe it was a sign — I had heard the sentiment from many folks I’d spoken with that they would often see people my age sitting across from each other at a restaurant with their noses buried in their phones. It didn’t take much reflection to realize Ryan and I had settled into that description.

Don’t get me wrong. We would still talk and joke and discuss important matters, but we were always so quick to dive right back into our online realms. With our wedding later this year, we both decided we wanted to make a change. We wanted to shift our focus back to each other.

Related:Receive good grades this harvest season

One evening, we dusted off our Battleship boards and played round after round, unaware of how much time had passed. And we were having a blast! This simple game pulled us back to reality and reminded us why we love each other’s company. Why had we pushed these activities aside?

We couldn’t say we were too busy, because we had time to scroll online for hours. We couldn’t say we didn’t like those games, because we had so much fun. What it boils down to is that it has become socially acceptable to live alongside your partner, with your focus directed at a screen. And we fell into that trap.

Switching gears

As harvest season approaches and our time together will be limited, Ryan and I are quickly realizing how important it is to set the phones aside and give each other our uninterrupted attention. A game of Battleship takes all of 10 minutes. Rehashing our day maybe only takes 15 minutes. Why would we spend our precious moments together during that busy season doing anything else? Is the extra 20 minutes of scrolling worth it?

Those moments where we can connect are what carry me through the long and challenging days. Not once has a TikTok video or Instagram post kept me motivated as I work through my day. But a heartfelt conversation with Ryan? There’s my motivation.

Let this serve as a reminder to be cognizant of your screen time when you’re around your family and friends. It may seem like everyone else is putting a screen to their face, blinding the rest of their view. But that doesn’t have to be you.