About a month ago, (21 days to be precise but who’s counting?) I had my phone pickpocketed.
You know when you’re walking down the street and you lock eyes with someone who immediately puts chills down your spine? Well, this was the situation at hand… I was walking down the street directly outside of my apartment, quite intoxicated if I’m being honest, and this freaky middle aged dude with crazy eyes and a chipped front tooth approaches me. “Ciao bella! Belissima, bellisima!” He says, as he kisses my cheek and essentially assaults my face in every which way. You know what they say; the most dangerous incidents happen close to home because you let your guard down.
I was so fixated on getting this man out of my personal bubble that I totally abandoned my belongings to fend for themselves. This guy was smart, though. He knew exactly what he was doing… distracting the upper half of my body, so that the lower half of my body wouldn’t recognize the fact that he was reaching into my pocket and stripping me of my brand new, perfect condition, rose gold iPhone 6S. Fuuuuuuuuck!!
I guess I had it coming though… I hate to admit this, but I was truly the perfect target. Alone, drunk, with my phone hanging out of my front pocket. Might as well have just handed it to the bastard. If there is one lesson learned, trust your instincts. If you’re getting a bad vibe from someone, STAY AWAY! Your body and your mind are steering you in the right direction.
Anyhow, since that tragic evening, I have been bouncing around Europe empty handed. Bizarrely enough, I don’t hate it. I walk to class each day and, instead of listening to my music, I take in every noise around me; the music of street entertainers playing their accordions, the bells of bicycles passing by on the street, the sad sounding sirens from the ambulance, the leaves crunching on the ground, the river flowing through the center of Florence and dividing this little city in two.
Instead of using google maps, I actually find my own way around… following the scents of pizza, croissants, pasta and gelato lingering in the air and trusting that they guide me in the right direction (which they usually do). Paying close attention to street signs and landmarks and teaching myself the different routes of this beautiful city. Finding your way around Florence is actually quite simple once you get the hang of it, just follow the canal and you’re good to go!
When I came to the realization that my new phone wasn’t going to be delivered in time for my trip to London last weekend, I was fairly pissed off. How is everyone supposed to know what I’m up to if I can’t document every moment of my trip via Snapchat!? Gosh, my life is so hard! I soon understood the stupidity of this notion. That is, with this rising digitally technological era, my generation pops a literal boner for Facebook notifications, and whether or not that hot guy has viewed your Snapchat story or liked your Instagram post.
So, I may not have any physical proof that I ever actually visited London (I might be lying about ever having even been there, for all you know) but I believe that my time spent there was far more precious in the sense that all I have are the memories to reflect upon. There wasn’t a minute of my time wasted away scrolling aimlessly through applications or stressing over whether or not this café has a Wi-Fi password. I absorbed London to my fullest capabilities and welcomed it with open arms.
As I write this, I sit on the train from Florence to Bologna, where I’ll catch my flight to Barcelona for another phoneless weekend where I intend to go out to meals with my friends and participate in full fledge, uninterrupted conversations while making eye contact! Can you believe it!? Hypothetically speaking, had my phone never been stolen, this train ride would be far less productive. Rather than writing about my life changing experience and inspiring you all to say a big “fuck you” to your iPhones, I would be engaging in these addictive activities.
Don’t get me wrong, iPhones are beneficial in so many ways. My roommates for sure resent me at 8:30AM on Monday when they’re forced against their will to take turns waking me up in the morning. iPhones serve as alarm clocks, iPods, GPS systems, cameras, calendars, and so much more. It’s no wonder we are so dependent upon these genius devices. I am just saying, once and a while, you should challenge yourself to go without it and see how you do. Don’t be startled if, somewhere along the line, you suffer from minimal withdrawal symptoms such as, shaking, sweating, sleep loss, increased heart rate, and so on. But, I promise, it will get easier!
My new phone won’t be here for another 5 to 12 business days, and I’ve only cried thrice.
