The Best and Worst Accident

If you were stranded on an island what is the one thing you would want to have?

If you said "a good time", hats off to you. I'm guessing most of you would say your iPhone. And I must admit I am in that boat too. It is hard to imagine a life without a personal computer at your fingertips. Work emails, social interactions, plane tickets, navigation systems, pictures of loved ones.

What if all of that was lost?

I found myself in a panic when I lost my phone on the Metro in Barcelona, Spain. That was my link to my family and friends. My one personal piece of home that felt like my security blanket. Without it I felt lost.

Living without it this past week and a half, I have realized how dependent I am to it . Once I stepped back and looked around instead of down at a screen I was much happier, centered, and engaged. When entering a beautiful cathedral, instead of scrambling to get my phone out for a picture, I reveled in its beauty. Instead of immediately searching for the wifi password at restaurants, I conversed with my companions and enjoyed the atmosphere.

"I need my phone to navigate my way through a city."

I thought the same thing. I navigated all the way from Barcelona to Norway to London to Exeter without an iPhone. With natural instinct, not being ashamed to ask for help, old fashioned maps, and a rad travel companion, I survived the journey.

I challenge you to put your phone down the next time you come across a beautiful landscape, a sentimental moment, a meaningful conversation and just revel in it. I doubt you will ever regret being 100% in that moment.

xoxo,

Leah Joy