Touch screens can be tricky sometimes. While I’m on the phone, my ear bumps into things and presses all kinds of buttons on the screen. I often find my flashlight turning on, or worse, my call disconnecting accidentally.

The other day, I discovered something shocking. I was checking the weather on my phone and accidentally opened the recording app. To my surprise, I found a list of recordings I didn’t even know existed. Curious, I tapped on one of them, and my stomach dropped like a stone as I realized what it was. My ear had unknowingly pressed “record” during a phone conversation. I could hear myself speaking in a serious discussion, and the thought made me feel sick.

With growing trepidation, I checked more recordings. One after another, they were all private conversations. The Mishnah in Avos about all our words being heard raced through my mind. Of course, I’ve always known that my words are important and heard by the One Above, but realizing they had been physically recorded on my phone made the lesson hit home in a powerful way.

Now, I make a conscious effort to think even more carefully before I speak on my phone, imagining that my conversations are being recorded. Hopefully, this awareness will stay with me, helping me watch my words with greater care.