When was the last time you had a deep and genuine talk with your best friend face to face? Had quality time with your parent? Created a new inside joke with a sibling over something hilarious happening? As I look around, I realize how neglected our relationships have become. A majority of our time is spent on our phones, computers, and televisions. It may be the conservative in me showing; to miss face to face interaction; but alas, I crave its presence. There will come a day, believe it or not, that we will not be up to date on the latest iPhone or MacBook. When that time comes what will we have left? My hope is that I will have bonds with family and friends when I am forty. That some of my current relationships will still exist because I invested my time in them even when technology could have consumed my attention instead. Here are four simple ways to better your relationships:

1. Take them out for coffee

The best thing you can give is your time. Time is one of the only gifts that you cannot ever get back; therefore, investing your time in someone is so precious. After a long day who would not want to pick up a latte with a shot of espresso and be with someone they love? Do it. I truly mean that. An hour at your local coffee shop and a few dollars can make your day, or even your week, drastically better.

2. Talk about the deeper things in life more often

"Hey."

"Hey, how are you?"

"I am doing well, and you?"

"I am alright thanks."

We have all had this conversation. Nothing more, nothing less. Why not discuss their family, their job, school work, or what they are going through? Let’s talk about politics or religion. Ask genuinely how their day has been. We never know what someone is going through until we pull down their walls brick by brick, even if you have a close relationship. Do good things for someone else, you will feel better. Someone will do the same for you, I know we all need a little love every once in awhile.

3. Tell them how special they are to you

It seems impossible, and cliche to say, but you never truly know how long you have left with someone. Do not wait to tell someone how much you love them. Do not hesitate to tell someone how thankful you are for all that they do. Swallow your pride and your nerves. There is no shame in kindness. You will regret keeping your mouth shut.

4. Cease the moment

If you are stuck in the house while it is raining, go outside and dance with your best friend. Sing at the top of your lungs, splash in the puddles, sink your toes in the mud. If you find concert tickets that are for the night before an exam, go anyway. Study earlier in the week. Save some money up or live on a tight budget for a month. You can put your clothes in the wash. You'll survive through the exam. You can work for your money any time. Memories last forever. Some memories can only be made if you take a once in a lifetime opportunity. Take the low grade, the risk, or the tight budget. These things are temporary. You won't remember that D on your Chemistry exam. You will remember slipping down that hill in the mud or listening to your favorite band with your best friend. At forty-five you will be able to laugh with your mom at her bedside about these memories you made together when you were eighteen. At sixty-five you will be in your elderly living facility laughing with a best friend about all the crazy things you did during college. Cease the moments you are given.