This weekend I dropped my phone and hopelessly watched it fall to the sidewalk, shattering beyond repair. Luckily my insurance is sending me a new one, but I've spent the past three days phoneless. Seeing the world for the first time through only my eyes and not my screen has been such a weirdly nice experience.
Day 1: Sunday
I slept in and then walked to the gym with the absence of my phone and headphones. I kept feeling like I was forgetting something and constantly checked my pockets. Afterward, I wanted to grab brunch at Brower. Normally I would just text one of my friends to meet me, but of course, I couldn't do that. I walked in alone and scanned the dining hall a little more carefully than usual, searching for anyone I knew to sit with. I hate sitting alone even with my phone to entertain me, so I really wasn't looking forward to being by myself today. Luckily before I spotted them, I heard two friends I hadn't seen in a while calling my name. It was a relief and a nice surprise to sit and catch up with them.
Day 2: Monday
I didn't have an alarm to set, but luckily my roommate woke me up. The weather was nice so I went on my usual run to the park. Not gonna sugar coat it, going for runs without your phone SUCKS. I missed my running app and being able to pace myself. I missed the security of my phone in my hand while I was running through this deserted park. Mostly I missed the company of my headphones and music during my workout.
I spent the rest of the day in the painting studio working on an assignment, and then had color theory class which was pretty ordinary. Impatiently standing at the bus stop after class, it was slightly annoying to not be able to check when the bus was coming.
You would think I'd be so fed up with the inconveniences by now, but I was getting used to this lifestyle and starting to appreciate my time even more. Sitting in the back of the bus, seeing everyone staring at their screens amazed me. I contemplated how absorbed in my phone I am when I'm out and about, and how I now have so much time to just think without that distraction.
Day 3: Tuesday
I woke up to my roommate's alarm and went to class, and by this point, I've forgotten that I don't have my phone. My friends don't seem to understand how I'm surviving. It's been a chorus of "Woah, are you okay?" and "I could never!" But to me, it really doesn't seem that tragic. It's even crazier to me how crazy it seems to exist in 2019 without a phone.
In high school, my friends and I would always do "Phones In" when we'd go out to eat, which meant we'd stack our phones in the middle of the table. Now that I'm experiencing the benefits of "Phones In" all the time, it's kinda sad that it needed to be a spoken rule. I can't stress how much more engaging it is to experience life without your phone by your side. I'm not gonna lie and say that I don't REALLY miss listening to music all the time like I used to. I also miss being able to snap a selfie when there's good lighting or my outfit's cute. And would I have the will power to turn off my new phone for three days just for the sake of it? Probably not. But these past three days have been a much-needed wakeup call about how much we allow our phone to dictate our lives.
