Water damage. That's what the diagnosis was last week when I walked into a T-Mobile store after my iPhone had been completely unresponsive for an entire day. After what seemed like hours of phone calls, account malfunctions and payment decisions, I walked out of there phoneless. Who knew this frustrating inconvenience would actually end up being such an eye-opening experience.
I have been without a phone for a little over a week now while waiting for the insurance to figure its stuff out and send me a new one. Until now, I've never really been completely without a phone for more than a day, or two at most, so it was definitely an adjustment. I found myself instinctively reaching for my phone in between classes, while having lunch in the cafeteria, before bed and right when I woke up, even whenever there was a lull in a conversation with my friends.
After a few days, I realized how much time I had been wasting at night just scrolling through meaningless social media feeds before finally going to bed later than I should be. I recognized how much I had been using my phone to procrastinate on homework even while sitting at my desk with my laptop and books open. I understood how honestly frustrating it is to be sitting around the lunch table with my friends and looking up to see that no one was paying attention because everyone was on their phone, not to say that I probably didn't do the exact same thing when I had my phone.
Don't get me wrong, phones are great and actually pretty essential. However, this week has taught me that my life shouldn't be revolving around my phone. I know that sounds like a stretch, but when you think about it, isn't that what we have become: a society that can't go five minutes without looking at our phones? It doesn't have to be like this. We need to be able to have the self-control to go through a dinner with friends and not have to reach for our phones. We need to look up and realize that while we're scrolling through Twitter, the potential for a beautiful moment is passing us by. We have to understand that enjoying something firsthand should be more important than getting the perfect picture for your Snapchat story.
Having a phone isn't a bad thing, but I urge you to think about how much precious time is being lost because you were on your phone. How much beauty slipped by you while you were checking your Instagram. How many words were left unspoken or unheard because Facebook was more important. How much life was left unappreciated because your eyes were too focused on the screen in your hand. So friends, my advice to you this week: once in a while, make a conscious decision to look up, turn your phone on silent and watch carefully as this beautiful wonder called life does its thing.
