A realization....

Wednesday, I had a little bit of a scare. I was at school waiting for the next class to start, and I couldn’t find my phone! I searched my bag and my pockets and the area around where I was sitting. Nothing. So I went back to the bathroom, to see if I had left it there. No. It was nowhere to been seen. I asked at the lost in found—two actually—still nothing. I left like I didn’t have my right hand or some other equally as important appendage. I had no idea what I was going to do. At school at least I had the internet, so I could talk to people that way, but once I got home I would be completely cut off. When I got home I decided to empty my backpack in hopes I was blind. I was. The phone was sitting in one of the pockets happy as a clam, not even knowing that it was lost. Yes, I felt like a big dork.

Not having my phone and not having internet at home has really made me think about how connected I am. I am really grateful I have a smart phone and am able to check my email, Facebook, YouTube, etc. while I am at home, but at the same time I have realized how much time I am used to spending online. We don’t even have TV right now, so any down time I have has been spend watching movies and knitting. There have been some good things to come of this however. I have done the dishes almost every night. (The dishwasher is broken so they have to be done by hand.) To many of you that may seem to be a: duh, you should be doing that anyways. Your right, but it isn’t a habit I was in. Basically I have been for the most part at least, making better use of my time.

I think not having the distractions, of the internet and TV, have been good. I will have internet at my place in Germany, but I didn’t want to spend as much time on Facebook as I do here. Mostly, because if I do have downtime I want to be out meeting people and seeing the town. I know there will be sometimes where I will be just at home, but for the most part I don’t want to waste any time. I have so little time to spend there that I know I need to make the most of it.  So not having internet right now will help me get used to filling my downtime with other things.

I remember when I first moved out on my own I didn’t have a TV or internet, unless I stole a connection from one of the neighbors, and I really enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was a little lonely at times, but that was easily fixed with a phone call or a short drive to a friend’s house.  I think I am going to enjoy the next week I have here, and maybe I will get used to the missing limbs. J