Dear iPhone,

Thank you for growing with me from high school to college. From first generation to 6+. From the chipped fingernail polish and the lip smackers, to being shoved in Vera Bradley and Michael Kors wallets. From taking Myspace era pictures, to capturing the moments of college that seem to go by in the blink of an eye.

Thank you for getting me out of awkward situations; when the person I’m ignoring tries to talk to me in the middle of the library or when that boy I have class with who thinks we’re best friends tries to approach me. The amount of times I call my mother increased when I realized a phone call can get me out of weird times (sorry mom).

Thank you for being there with me all those sleepless nights--even though those doctors say it’s your fault I’m not sleeping (we both know it's kind of the truth though). Thank you for allowing me to endlessly scroll through the void at 2 a.m. while avoiding homework and life decisions.

Thank you for letting me keep in touch with my friends—whether it’s through an app, Facetime or an iMessage, everyone is always a short call or text away. Thank you for letting my best friend call me when she broke up with her boyfriend at midnight and not have called the house phone and explain to my mother why she is crying. I’m thankful that you have the proper emojis to express my feelings over these very impersonal ways of communication, because I forget how to convey my feelings over text 99 percent of the time. #GenerationX

Thank you for not shattering every time I drop you—whether it is me being drunk or just clumsy, I can always count on you not to break into a million pieces (like my life.)

And lastly, thank you for being a comfort. Thank you for always being there in social situations. Thank you for letting me hold onto you with my sweaty hands when I’m nervous. Thank you for not breaking when I’m mad and slam my fingers down on your glass. Thank you for keeping my entire life in one place. Thank you for housing all my pictures, from throwbacks to selfies. Thanks for having my schedule in memory and for sending me reminders and thank you for waking me up in the morning even though I sometimes throw you. I’m forever grateful.

Thank in advance for all the times you’ll save me iPhone,

I’ll love you through all the upgrades,

Your Owner

p.s: We need to talk about a feature you should have; “Anti-Drunk Texting” because if you have that, I think I’ll love you more.

Aside from the joking letter above:

People often call my generation obsessed with technology; but what they don’t understand is that we’re just keeping up with the times. Instead of a diary, I have Twitter. Instead of handwritten post, I have immediate contact with those I hold dearly. Instead of doing something wrong, I have Google. Instead of wondering, I know. Instead of being stuck in the past, I’m embracing the technological aspects of our ever growing society.

I know my grandparents' and even my parents' generation often frowns upon us for being glued to our phones but what they don’t realize is our phones are our agendas, mailboxes, journals and our phones. Technology is growing, and with that so should we. Many believe that we’re just "endlessly scrolling"but what they don't see is how we’re reading news articles about the presidential candidates, they don’t see how we’re debating our thoughts in a (hopefully) civil manor. They don’t see us reading stories about mental health, health care or our veterans.

Many times when the older generations ask what we’re doing on our phones, we just say, “nothing.” We should start saying “Oh, I’m reading an article about an archaeologist who just uncovered Biblical texts written earlier than originally thought!” The older generation will then hem and haw over the fact that you’re actually reading a news article(!) on your phone, and not just taking selfies and “lol-ing” at your friends!

Be proud of your technological advantages, be proud that you know some random fact about some random subject, and be proud that you’re advancing the world.