How many times a day do we have to honk our horn in traffic to wake somebody up because they were looking at their phone?

I want you to go out today, and I want you to drive around like you normally would, but this time I want you to look at the car next to you. What are they doing at the stop light? Are they waiting for the light to turn green? Or are they scrolling and looking at their phone?

I mean, God forbid we actually just sit there, and collect our thoughts, and daydream.

What about the daydream?

As I’m sitting at the light right now on this beautiful, sunny Saturday, I’m noticing all the daisies that have bloomed. It’s wild flower season in California. It’s one of the only green seasons we actually have. We had a winter full of rain, so the flowers, and the trees are greener, and yellower, and more beautiful than they’ve ever been.

How do I know that?

I don’t look at my phone at the traffic light.

You see, I don’t need to keep looking at my Facebook feed at every single traffic light. What have I missed between the four minutes that I went from one traffic light to the next?

Did Mary Sue post something about a deal she got at Walmart?

Did Jamie sample some really good free food at Costco?

Did Tom take a picture of his lunch that he had? I know these are things you just don’t want to miss. And let’s not even talk about Instagram. They’re just using cover, and Instagram’s even faster at a stop light. You can see all the pictures of people taking selfies of themselves because they all want to be an Instagram god or goddess.

Every day I see somebody at a traffic light next to me, staring at their phone, scrolling up. Instead of living their own life they are staring at the lives of others. Instead of looking at the beautiful wild flowers that are blooming around them, or maybe looking at the buildings, and the architecture.

Or just plain old relaxing, and just enjoying the music that’s on the radio.

I don’t know about you, but I’m all for having a technology-free day.

Why don’t we call it the 15th of each month?

That way maybe we won’t dread IRS tax collection day on the 15th.

Here’s a challenge to all of you obsessed iPhone junkies.

I want you to drive around today. And I want you to look and see all of the things that around are you. All the flower beds, all the colored cars, try to pick out the yellow daisies as you see them, because I guarantee you this time of year you’re going to see a lot of yellow daisies.

Take a look and see at what stage the leaves are popping from the trees.

Take a look at the cars that are around you. Daydreaming is just to think about things. It is so beautiful; we did it as kids. We could sit around and just daydream. I remember in class my teacher would look at me and say, David!

And I’d shake my head as I woke up from another daydream about, well, maybe Lisa Ruppman, who was absolutely gorgeous and sitting next to me. Or my thoughts and ideas of how I can be the starting quarterback for the New York Jets when I get older. Or what I wanted to eat when I got home, a nice crispy, fun bowl of Captain Crunch, there was nothing better than drinking that soggy milk at the end.

Daydreaming: that’s how great things are created.

That’s how ideas are born — from dreams. Actually, daydreams are when we’re conscious, and alert, and awake, and we allow our mind and brain to go, and just become powerful, and creative. Dream and create anything, and all of us are constantly looking at other people’s energy, and other people’s pictures.

I dictate a lot of my blogs as I’m driving, and as I’m sitting in traffic right now, waiting at the light at Bally Way, and Admiral T Way, I’m seeing a guy slow down next to me, and I was wondering why he was going so slowly. His neck was hanging down as he was looking at his phone as he was driving.

For those of you that have children, think about what you’re teaching them (and here I am watching a bicycle rider texting at a light). He missed the light because he was texting somebody.

We are so not present. Why are we out riding bikes when we’re on our phones? We should be out riding bicycles, just watch the leaves, and the trees, and the people, and the dogs, and the kids running, and playing.

Bring back day dreaming, and stop obsessing about other people’s feeds, and thoughts, and pictures, and lines, and start creating the magic in your own again. Put down your phone.