PHONE-LESS

Unfortunately my phone died. On Friday night at 18.26, he passed away, unpleasantly. After staying with me, for 2 years, refurbished nonetheless, he sadly gave up on me. We had some good times together, he made me feel less lonely. And through those 2 years we survived car crashes, heart breaks, deaths and love together. Living away from home, he has supported me while contacting my friends and family in Amsterdam. 

The next day, I had to temporarily replace my phone with a Nokia. (Don’t worry babe, I will always love you) Nevertheless I must say, I’m loving it. No WhatsApp, no distractions, no social obligations. I start to see the unnoticeable things in life again. I feel free-er than I’ve ever been, and somehow empowered that I can do anything. I wouldn’t say I was addicted to iPhone number 5, but I certainly held it close to my heart. But just like any other heart break, at some time you just have to move on.

So here are a few things I learned from going retro:

1.Texting takes ages. 

Just sending messages after messages doesn’t apply anymore, if you write one letter every 30 seconds. Which means you start to really think about what you want to say. What is the most important and necessary thing I want to say?

2. Looking things up isn’t an option.

To be fair, in the corona-times we are mostly at home. But even going outside for that hour a day or eating dinner with the family, I can’t look up a question that has been asked during. Instead of looking it up, I do the thinking on my own. Not knowing the meaning of a word, or how the world has developed from the last 3 hour, or certain research I want to do. I begin to think for myself on what the answer might be. Side note, I am 9 out of 10 times right. Another interesting fact I found out about myself. 

3. The details are everything. 

Instead of spending time on my phone while going to the bathroom or frustratedly waiting for my fling to answer, which of course he doesn’t, I look around me and notice the small things around me. Has that little hole in my bathroom door always been here? Has this mole abruptly grown in the last week? Have I always smelled like this?

4. Having a phone for the first time. 

I feel like a kid again, 10 years old, getting my own phone for the first time to call my mom, only for emergencies, but mostly used to play games. My iPhone was full of distractions and “creative” things to do on it. But never have I played with my phone itself. Now I start swiping my screen up and down. I start pretending to call Jerry from Totally Spies. I try to get my skin stuck in the two side of my phone, which works 4 out of 10 times. 

5. No pressure. 

Pressure and I are not on good terms, I feel it rather quickly and I get stuffy even thinking about it. And now no one is pressuring me, if I don’t answer, if I don’t pick up. Everyone gets how “hard” it is too not have a phone, which gives me the freedom to do whatever the hell I want. 

Yeah, I’m gonna keep on having no phone, I’ve never felt so at peace with life since adulthood.