So, it happened. Every writer and student’s nightmare. I woke up on the morning of August 30 and pressed the power button on my mid-2010 MacBook Pro, only to see a black screen and hear a beeping sound. This had, thankfully, only happened one other time (it was a RAM issue) and it turned to be just a quick fix at the Apple Store. However, time had passed, and my laptop had aged past the point where the Apple Store could fix it, so they referred me to an independent Apple-authorized service provider, who found that the entire logic board needed to be replaced. So now, other than not having a laptop right at the start of sophomore year, this repair was now cost my parents $589.

Yeah, this was pretty frustrating at the time. But now, looking back on that week-and-a-half of not having my laptop, I realize how beneficial it was for me.

First of all, not having it actually allowed me to do something I likely wouldn’t have done otherwise: read a book. As much I absolutely loved to read, with how busy I usually am and how seriously I’m taking my writing, I just had stopped trying to make time for it. But during that week-and-a-half, whenever I did have downtime, I used the opportunity to read a book I had gotten as a gift over the summer, Abby Johnson’s Unplanned. Without turning this article into a book review, I’ll just say that it’s an incredible memoir about Johnson’s journey from being a Planned Parenthood director to now being a prominent pro-life activist. Whatever your stance is on the abortion issue, it’s a great eye-opening read.

I also found myself not being on social media all that much. This was also very much a blessing, as it’s so easy for me to get depressed seeing all the negativity and pessimism and anger that blankets social media (mostly in regards to the 2016 election). As a pro-life activist and someone who tries to be happy as much as possible, being away from social media allowed me to get closer to God and also helped to silence the voices in my head that would bring me down even more. While social media is oftentimes a necessary evil (for doing business-related things such as sharing Odyssey articles), not being on it 24/7 was a refreshing experience.

But perhaps the most beneficial part of this week-and-a-half is that it allowed me to socialize more with my new housemates. For those who don’t know, I am a current resident of DePaul University’s Vincent & Louise House, which is a year-long residential experience and intentional Catholic community in which ten DePaul undergraduate students live together and commit themselves to a set of values, including community service and social justice. Throughout this time (half of which was V&L House Orientation Week), I grew closer with my housemates, and was able to be much more in the moment during the free time I had with them. I had many great deep conversations with them when I wasn’t worried about getting on my laptop so I could write. Even when we were in main common area playing a card game, I found myself enjoying it more.

So while I am more than thankful to have my laptop back now for both schoolwork and writing, it was still a refreshing thing to be away from it for a week-and-a-half. It made me get closer to God, my housemates, and also renewed my love for reading books.