I don't really know who I am writing this for since I do not advertise my blog anywhere...So I guess I am writing it for myself. That's right, myself! And why shouldn't I?
So.
I have been without a phone in any way shape or form for one month...and let me tell you...or well, myself: it was BLISS!!
Soooo wonderful not to worry about the ringing or the messaging...maybe it's my guilty conscious but whenever my phone goes off I think it's to tell me off about something, to bring me bad news or something to do with work or whatever...I know, bad mentality.
So. I had no phone. The first day I rode the train after the tragic watery death of my old iPhone 5, I was sat next to a lady, and all around me people had their noses in their phones and their earphones on, oblivious to the world, but the lady next to me had gotten out her knitting, and was quietly absorbed in that, and I thought: What a nice idea!!
She made me realise that now that I didn't have the automatic distraction of my phone I could catch up on the things I used to love doing B.P ("before phone"). I could pick up a book and read it every day to work. I could listen to the birds on my way to the food shop. I could people watch. I could breathe the air and notice the freshness...I KNOW i'm getting cliche here, but it's true. So I did all of those things.
And it was good.
And I met up with people, generally without issue. I was there at the time I had said I would be, without "Sorry I am late" messages that had become my catch-phrase when I'd had a phone and allowed myself to be late because - "whatever, I'll just message them that I'm running late." But I didn't do that anymore, because I wasn't late...because I had to be on time...otherwise I'd have no way of notifying the people I was meeting. I'd have to wait until the end of the day so my boyfriend and I could have a proper catch-up instead of messaging him every minute detail during the day...Ok, I don't really do that, but if something major happened then I'd simply have to wait until I got home. I had all my meals straight out of the oven and just for me, instead of laying it all out to look like a masterpiece for my instagram account followers.
And it was good.
But, alas! Applying for new jobs means I have to be contactable...I also liked that my previous iPhone synced with my mac, so that if I took a photo of some or other information on a piece of paper that I then lost (as I often do!) and THEN I lost my phone as well, the information was still there on my mac.
So I decided with MUCH deliberation to get an iPhone....4S. And I am pleased with the decision. I didn't go for the latest new shiny iPhone even though it was really, really tempting! Why? Because soon - really soon - there'll be another shiny new iPhone brought out which will render my new iPhone 5C old news, so it doesn't really matter that it's the newest, because it soon won't be. PLUS it was an extra 200kr (or 20 pounds!) a month to get the 5C or 5S...and for what? Ok, there are differences, it's a "better" phone than the 4S. But who cares, I don't want to be stuck in my phone anyway.
So after a loooooooong loooooong time in netcom bothering the poor Danish guy there, I chose a white iPhone 4S. Only 349kr a month compared to 549kr for the 5C, saving myself a neat 2400kr per year. It still syncs with my mac, still plays music, it's slower than my old 5 but hey, I have time. I changed the background colour to yellow and bought a cute yellow bumper for it, so it looks super cute ANYWAY - even though it's the one before, the one before, the one before the latest iPhone.
But, I am going to take my phone-free lessons with me. It has taught me a great deal.
It has taught me that life is not inside my phone, it's outside of my phone.
Meals should be eaten instantly. I will give myself one quick snap for instagram, and I will post it FAST, not spend 30 mins finding the right filter and hash-tagging.
I will remember to listen to the birds instead of my headphones. Headphones are for the gym and housework.
I will not use my phone on my daily commute. I will keep up my reading and my world-watching. I can read Facebook in my work-break.
I will keep my appointments. I will resist the urge to text the "sorry I'm running late" excuse just because I am too lazy to manage my time properly. Being late for that reason is just disrespectful to the person you're meeting. Be on time. When you can.
And there are many, many other things I learned during my month without a phone...Sounds dramatic but, most of all I learned about the freedom you get when you release yourself from the confines of always being glued to your phone.
And it was good. :)
FREEDOM!
