It’s evident that our generation is constantly on our phones. I’ll admit it; I’m on it more than I probably should be. We are all guilty of it. As many students in college do, I take the shuttle to school from my apartment that is located off campus, and I couldn’t help but take in the scene one day at the bus stop. Every single person was on their phones, glued to whatever was catching their eye as they scrolled through their news feeds. And to be honest, the view was shocking. So I conducted my own personal experiment. For a whole week, I stood at the bus stop and rode the bus without ever looking at my phone. What I found as a result of this action may shock you, and let's just say that I will not be using my phone while waiting for the shuttle anymore.

I learned that having a conversation with people is more enjoyable than anything you could possibly see on your phone. I actually talked to people. Can you believe it?! I talked to people at the bus stop that I had never met before. I am pretty certain that I wouldn’t have had these conversations if I was on my phone. I talked to people about their majors, where they lived, how they liked their roommates, where they were from, as well as what our future was looking like. We talked at the bus stop, during the bus ride, and continued to talk until we parted ways. It was extremely refreshing to get out of my bubble.

I learned that you look more approachable without your phone. When you’re invested in your phone you look as though you couldn’t and don’t want to be bothered. You look distant and unapproachable. When you’re in an environment without your phone, you have a completely different vibe radiating off of you. Try it. See what you may find.

I learned that people tend to follow suit. At times it was odd to be the only person that wasn’t on their phone. I was the girl looking around, enjoying the sunshine, while everyone else was too occupied. But as I made glances with others and gave a warm smile, I noticed that a lot of the people around me put their phones away little by little. By the time we all settled down on the shuttle, the majority of the people had put their phones away. Did I just start a new trend?

I learned that you miss out on the little things when you’re on your phone. I was able to notice the warm sunshine and the gorgeous day that had presented itself to me. I was able to take in the very cute boy that sat across from me as well as a cute pair of shoes a girl was wearing. How many things have I missed in the past when I was consumed in my phone?

Maybe you’ll try this or maybe you won’t. Maybe you’re perfectly fine just the way things are but I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to talk to others, enjoy the day for what it was, and it’s always nice to change your typical routine. This world is filled with wonderful people and it would be a shame if you missed out on a great opportunity because your phone seemed a bit more important at the time.