A month ago my head was exploding with the perpetual notifications from social media. I needed to decompress, so I threw my iPhone into the Miami River.
Yes, my phone sits at the bottom of the Miami River. It was a pleasure to be liberated from the monster of technology as I watched my phone sink deep into the unknown.
If I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. Therefore, I threw it inside the water quickly with no hesitations and no inhibitions. I contemplated it’s trajectory from my hand to the bottom, astonished. And just like that—it was gone. My friends stared at me in disbelief and I smiled. I was feeling detached from the world.
The first days of my new found freedom felt rewarding. I was no longer interrupted by the sound of my iPhone. No notifications, messages or Instagram pictures, and no longer distracted by the constant cascade of tweets. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
I felt light on my feet again and I was able to stop and contemplate people and their social behaviors and observe the small details around me. You tend not to notice things unless you are paying close attention. I was back to doing what I loved doing most: Observing and writing.
As uplifting as I find those motivational quotes on Twitter to be, I prefer to make my own inferences on the situations around me. It is important to formulate your own ideas; to keep yourself creative and alert to make time for you and for things you care about.
Do not get caught up scrolling down a monotonous news feed, or feel like your connections will be broken because you delete one of your social media apps. Put your happiness before any Tweet.
During the seconds before I tossed my iPhone into the water, I stopped to look at it and thought, “Do I really need you?”
The answer was evident. Pictures? Contacts? Music? No.
I was simply tired of the dependency I felt toward my phone.
There was nothing in it that I truly needed to continue my life into this small vacation. My pictures were memories. My contacts probably remained somewhere in the system. My music? Well, I’m not a bad singer.
The break is currently still ongoing and it is refreshing. Although, I do not recommend throwing your iPhone into the nearest river.
