Life without a phone

Matthew Norwood, Staff Reporter

Hello everyone, today I take you on an adventure. The possibility to engage in such an adventure was only brought up recently, due to an unfortunate series of events. No matter the outcome now, it would not be possible without my best friend, my phone.

My phone has been here with me for years. It’s been through good times and bad, right there with me through relationships and drama, guiding the way, not always making the right decisions. I talk to my phone more than anyone else, turning to it whenever boredom strikes me or I’m in an awkward situation. Some (my family, mostly) would say I like talking to it more than talking to family, but I never wanted to acknowledge such heinous albeit empirically supported accusations.

On Dec. 1, my phone broke. I’ve never been very responsible with it, throwing it at will for the sake of jest on many an occasion. I began to believe it was invincible, that it would always be there. Yet from a height it fell, and in death it now will dwell. I ran down to pick it up, and there was no response. Static. There were blips on the screen, a sort of rip across its surface, but it alludes to muscular tendencies to continue movement after a brain’s death more than it does a possibility of life.

So I now begin the trek into life without a phone. On Dec.10, I will once again have a phone. My dad gets his paycheck, and we go to the Sprint store to replace what I couldn’t imagine losing. Until then I will grit my teeth and bear it. THIS is the chronicles of a modern teenager, without a cell phone…

Day 1

Today was the day it broke. Most of the day was spent figuring out the logistics of replacement. Talking to my parents, figuring out when I can get a new one, etc. Whereas the screen had broken, the indicator and vibrator had not. As such, I spent most of the day staring at my phone helplessly as it vibrated, letting me know there were people I would be letting down.

Day 2

I embarked on a mission to try and ensure everyone knew my phone was dead, because we all know we assume the worst when someone doesn’t respond to our text messages. I talked to everyone who I assumed would’ve texted me, and tried to make up for any issues it might cause. The scariest part is knowing I have long distance friends to whom I talk constantly, and who will never know about my absence and probably expect me to have abandoned their friendship for some undisclosed reason.

Day 3

Organization has proved impossible. Yesterday I talked to friends about doing things after school until I realized I couldn’t be informed where, when, or what we would be doing. This was compounded by the fact that I couldn’t inform my parents of any plans, making any outside activity over the next week more of a hassle than an enjoyment. I’ve also been remarkably behind on news, something I can usually keep up with but which I now feel helpless and ignorant towards. Not the least of my problems is also my grades, which suffer from my lack of ability to organize and structure my school work.

Day 4

I already fear the weekend, knowing I will be able to do essentially nothing. This is not always a bad thing, as it may allow me to focus on homework I would otherwise blow off. However, at least one of my projects needs the mobile technology a phone gives me to complete it. Whereas I thought life would get easier over time without a phone, the stress hasn’t gone away. As of now it seems that every day which passes is another day letting people down, and losing track of things I need to be doing. Essentially, I’ve lost control, and it’ll be a little bit of a rollercoaster ride until Wednesday.

That being said, the week is coming to a close. Despite my struggles, I have realized that I’ve talked to my family a lot more recently. Turns out I really enjoy their company when it’s the only company I have, and if nothing else life at home has been leisurely not worrying about seeing other people, so it’s worth noting there is a pro and a con to everything.