Daily writing prompt

What app eats up most of your screen time — and do you even feel bad about it?

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Does the person who wrote this question even feel bad about the way it was worded?

That word “even” is carrying a surprising amount of judgment for a Tuesday morning.

Yes, I spend a lot of time playing games on my phone. Probably too much. I could use some of that time to clean out the garage, organize something useful or build an impressive object out of lumber.

I am not going to do that.

Most of my game time happens while I’m watching television or waiting for something to happen. It occupies the little gaps in the day—the moments when I’m not quite busy enough to start a project but apparently am busy enough to guide a penguin down a snowy slope on a sled.

My games are a mixture of brain exercises and complete nonsense. Sometimes I’m solving puzzles, testing my memory or doing something that might conceivably help keep my mind sharp. Other times, I’m helping animated creatures race, jump, slide or collect objects that have no value in this world or any other.

Balance.

I also spend plenty of screen time writing, editing, reading and answering questions like this one. That may not be physical labor, but it is still constructive. At least, that is what I tell myself while sitting in a room containing several things that could probably be cleaned, repaired or carried to the garage.

Do I feel bad about any of it?

Not usually.

I feel bad only when the question itself is silly or poorly worded. Then I don’t feel bad for myself. I feel bad for all the people answering it and for everyone who will eventually scroll through hundreds of posts written in response.

They deserve better.

They may not deserve a hand-built bookshelf made from reclaimed lumber, because I’m probably not going to make one.

But they deserve a better question.

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