Addition by Subtraction

I've been reading through some thoughts I've underlined in a book called Radical Hospitality: Benedicts Way of Love.  One section I had underlined reads, "We moderns have been ambushed by technology along the way, and we've been beaten up by the media.  We, who are consumers, have discovered that in our constant consuming we are leaving little room for anyone else and we're losing our souls."  The use of the word "anyone" rather than "anything" hit me like a ton of bricks.  When my soul feels starved or I feel a void in my life I tend to try to feed it with "things" (I'm still sort of covet my friends who have iphones).  When technology or "anythings" take the place of the "anyones" in our lives our souls starve.  Just this morning I had coffee with a friend at a busy Starbucks.  While trying to enjoy conversation, our cell phones sat expectantly next to our coffees and we each engaged in no less than three text messages each while we were talking.  I can't help but wonder if my soul left a little less full than it might have been if I left my silly phone in my pocket (though my wife might have missed out on a Gingerbread Latte as she was one of the texters :-).  Anyway, in this season, as we approach the new year and think about goals and what we need to add to our lives to achieve them, I'm finding myself asking God "What are the anythings I need to subtract from my life in order to create space for the anyones?"  Looks like I may have to put off that iphone for another year.  I think it's worth it.