This past weekend a confusion with my service provider led me to not having a usable phone for less than 24 hours. My sister and mom had come up from home to give me my SIM card and when I realized my phone wouldn't work for a while, I completely lost it. I was so angry and frustrated that I took it out on my sister and mom. My reasoning was that for the next two days, a Friday and Saturday, if I didn't have my phone I couldn't talk to anyone or text them or send them an e-mail. Communication, I realized, would have to be through Facebook or in person. It was also the night of the Christmas parade and I'd made plans to see it with people but I couldn't communicate with them either so clearly my night was ruined.
What I thought was going to be a terrible night ended up being one of the most fun, spontaneous nights I've had at college. My two friends and I ended up getting hot chocolate and watching the parade from a great view. Afterwards we decided to go to downtown Rock Hill and explore the town we'd lived in for years but never given any thought to. We ended up finding the cutest little shops and getting some pastries at a French bakery called Amélie's and enjoying the lights around the town. We spent the next few hours laughing and talking to other friends and even cooking some food. All in all, it was an incredible night.
But my obsession with my cellphone almost ruined that. Not having the ability to take a picture or Snapchat something at the parade seemed like such a horrible thought that being away from my working phone almost seemed like something was missing from me. I found myself reaching for my phone all too often that night and being disappointed when it didn't work. I learned that I had become a cell phone addict and it was invading all parts of my life. But cell phones aren't a bad thing, you say. They're a good tool that makes information and communication easily available, yes, but at what cost?
So I ask you to question yourself: how often are you on your cell phone? Is it the first and last thing you look at when you go to bed or get up? Do you use it at dinner with friends and/or family? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you need to put your cell phone down. Turn it off or turn it to silent and get back into the real world. Go get food with friends and put the cell phones in the center of the table and don't touch them. Take a walk with a friend and turn off your phone while you do it.
Now, I'm not saying that cell phones is the worst item in the world because they're not. Cell phones are very useful but sometimes it's a good idea to put it aside. Hanging out with friends shouldn't be a place where everyone is on their phones. Take a break, rest your eyes and enjoy life. Life doesn't wait for anyone and before you know it, you'll be so busy there won't be time to hang out with freinds and just relax.
