The Power of the Phone {SOL 7.11.17}

If you are like me, you carry your cell phone with you everywhere. To be without it is to feel like I've lost my right arm. I constantly check to make sure I have it: in my pocket, in my purse, on my coffee table. 

My cell phone is not just my phone, it is also my watch, my alarm, my camera, my to-do list, my notepad, my weatherman, my entertainment center, my map and probably a million other things.

So on Friday, when I went to Six Flags Great America with my family, I panicked a bit when I realized I had left my phone at home. (How that happened, I can't quite figure out.)

At first, I considered going home to get it. But then I thought...seriously?? 

Nope, I would make-do all day without it.

And you know what?  It felt weird, but it was actually kind of nice.

I didn't feel the draw to check it every hour (or sooner, given a state of inactivity).

I could enjoy moments with my family instead of trying to see them through the camera's viewfinder.

It even felt a bit devious to be disconnected from text messages...What would people think if they texted me and I didn't get back to them right away??? (Oh, the horror!! :)

I didn't have those up-to-the-minute updates of who was doing what and where from Facebook.

The only bad part about not having my phone was that I also didn't have a watch on so figuring out what time it was became a bit of a challenge.

What began as a day of panic, actually turned out to be very nice. It also made me realize how much my phone controls me. (Which is actually a pretty scary thought!)

I plan to have more phoneless days in the future. I think the more I do it, the easier it will become. I won't feel like I'm missing a body part.

And maybe I'll take back some of that power I've given away to this inanimate object.