"Mom, I can't live like this! I can't do it, I just can't." I complained as I threw my head back and shut my eyes in frustration.
"It's not the end of the world," my mother retorted.
My heart was racing, my palms began to itch and I felt disconnected from the world. As each second ticked by, I felt like I was missing out on the world around me.
This is simply because I had survived my first hour without Wi-Fi.
Yes, folks, I was shaking and feeling lost all because I had endured 60 minutes without access to the Internet.
A typical morning consisted of waking up, checking Gmail, my personal email, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Not to mention, catching up on my favorite blogs, current events and YouTube videos.
This all changed the day I woke up without Wi-Fi. For the first time in years, I couldn’t follow this routine. I felt disoriented, bored and clueless. I had also used up all of the high-speed data on my cellphone for the month. So, I really had been unplugged from the internet in every way.
My head swam in panic.
What if I miss seeing the fancy coffee Instagram picture that my friend posted during breakfast? What if I miss an important email? What if I *gasp* have to talk to my friends in person rather than Facebook?
When the realization that my day was going to be filled of “what ifs” set in I rubbed my eyes and took a breath.
This is when it hit me.
Not even an hour into not having Wi-Fi, I thought my world was going to end.
This is pathetic and in reality, my world was just beginning.
Not having access to Wi-Fi at my house anymore, and having ran out of data on my cell phone, I was forced to take a look around and be mindful of my surroundings. Instead of living through social media, I had to experience life without being able to post about it.
Within that first hour, my perspective changed.
Life should not be lived through a mobile device.
Sure, there are many benefits to having the World Wide Web at my fingertips, but, living without the web is not the end of the world. There are many more important things in life than posting about my day on Facebook. Life should be lived in the present! Being glued to my electronic device is not healthy.
Living without Wi-Fi has taught me that personal relationships should be nurtured in person. Friends should spend time together, instead of catching up through a message. It made me question how many of my “friends” I actually socialize with in real time. Friendship is a beautiful thing that should not occur behind a screen.
I learned that being mindful of my surroundings is a beautiful element of life that I took for granted. Instead of being glued to my phone like I typically am, living without Wi-Fi has changed me to open my eyes and live. Since living without Wi-Fi, it isn't too hard to put my phone down and hold a conversation, take a walk or simply just "be" in the moment rather than silently glued to my phone.
I can live without Wi-Fi, and I can keep my accomplishments, pictures of my meals and my inspirational posts to myself for a little bit. It is possible to live without receiving “likes” for everything I do.
Living without Wi-Fi has indeed been a challenge. However, it has also been a huge eye-opener. I plan to reevaluate how much time I do spend online whenever I do get access to Wi-Fi again someday.
I challenge you to think about it.
When was the last time you interacted face-to-face with the people you stay connected with online? When was the last time you really looked someone in the eyes and asked them about their day?
For me, a life without Wi-Fi has many benefits, despite how hard this transition has been.
I dare you to make a goal for the summer of 2016-- to spend a little less time online and a little more time participating in life. I guarantee your perspective will change.
