Tuesday, July 11, 2017

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.  



3 comments:

  1. I feel naked without it. Literally like I forgot to put on pants. My brain has definitely been altered over the last decade.

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  2. Isn't it crazy how attached we have become to our devices! I feel I spend enough time online with my computer, that I still don't have a smart phone.

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  3. Good for you! I've been leaving my phone behind more and more this summer. Yo are right, we don't even realize how often we are checking it rather than just enjoying the moment we're in.

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