Sometimes symbolism sucks

Today, my phone screen cracked.

I was walking into Market Street for some apples and sushi, the purest of intentions, when my phone leapt out of my hand to its ultimate demise.

Okay, it still works just fine and dandy...but the glass taunts a very unpleasant cut if you were to swipe your finger over it.

So why did I feel like sharing?

Because as I was driving to the store, I was thinking about my day. About something very specific that happens every day, actually.

What do you see when you walk around a college campus (aside from students frantically studying while walking to class)?

Folks with their phones in hand and buds in their ears. I'd say a good solid 80% of students listen to music (or podcasts or whatever) in between classes, walking to their cars, or making their way back to their respective apartments.

Meanwhile, there are perfectly good people standing right next to them with interesting lives and jokes to tell.

The reason it has started to bother me, is because Semester at Sea spoiled me. It was a completely different environment.

Let's use my previous example of headphones. Most people have them in their ears at Tech, and you almost look strange if you're not listening to music. People either assume you a) forgot them or b)are strange and like listening to nature.

MEANWHILE ON SAS- you almost look strange if you are listening to music while walking to and from class/room. 

"Oh, looks like someone is being anti-social today"

...that was always my thought. 

There was a culture of looking at one another, smiling- even if you've never spoken a word to them, and asking how (insert country's name here). It was wonderful.

I lived in a world where the odds of cracking your phone were lower than a professor pausing class because there is a whale outside the window...because you never needed it. You could leave it in your room for a week and not give its second thought.

I wish I could say that because of that experience, I'm going to throw caution to the wind, leave my phone cracked, and never take my phone anywhere ...alas, I'm going to have my screen fixed tomorrow (or perhaps buy a new phone)  and move on with my life.

WHAT I DID LEARN AND WILL IMPLEMENT:

1. There is no need to have my face buried in my phone. Ever. There are exciting things going on around me, and they merit my attention. 

2. You've also spent your money on backpacks/purses/man-bags (I don't discriminate)...let them do their job, they only have one: to hold stuff. So really, you're doing them and injustice by carrying your phone around. It's borderline offensive (to not only people that you are spending time with). Put it away.

3. I survived 5 months without having it on me every second of the day, and it was liberating.

3a. This does prove to be difficult, however, when you consider the fact that my future husband lives 7 hours away- and like most people in love, like to be in communication regularly. Phones are great for that.

However, it was some sort of strange symbolism.

Only in real life.

A very expensive real life symbol.

A symbol that will make me think a little longer before I decide that I need to check Facebook several times a day, or if I've gotten a new text in the past 10 minutes.

Things I love about to day:

1. People to talk to, thereby a reason to have a phone

2. Parents who fix my mistakes (even if I got my butterfingers from somewhere)

3. SAS, because it helped me care a little less about my phone (I'm sure when you were younger, like me, you dropped a phone- and it was like the end of the world).