Day 2: Ignorance is bliss

“I was going to message you, then I remembered you don’t have your phone” was the most often heard lament directed at me today. *Laughs*I think my not having mobile phones is making it difficult for other people, more than myself. My colleague said this: ‘Other people find that the mobile phone is a necessity to look for you.’ I actually find it a little amusing that there are people running around looking for me while I sit in silent contentment, blissfully unaware of it all. Dear colleagues, friends and students who are frustrated at not being able to contact me, I would like to say I'm sorry, but I'd be lying. So I won't. *Grins but feels a little bad. Just a little* 

If you haven’t already guessed, my second day of being mobile phoneless went pretty uneventfully. I think. I only catch myself subconsciously reaching into my bag for the cell phones twice. The first time was in the early morning at the bus stop, to check when the next bus was coming. The second time was when I was watching my students play Ultimate Frisbee and I wanted to take a picture. When I realised I don’t have them, I just asked someone else to do it.
 

Come to think of it, this would be a good excuse to not do quite a few things, eh? Call who? Sorry no phone. You sent me a message to do what? Aaahhh…sorry didn’t get it. No phone. Take photo for the Class Spirit Award? Marcus, take photo!
 

Steven emailed me an article about the Joy of Quiet by Pico Iyer and I found it rather reflective. It is, in a nutshell about being disconnected from the world. The author mentions how he has “yet to use a cellphone, never Twittered or entered Facebook.” Now I can’t boast of being able to do that. The internet is necessary for me, for work, if not for anything else.
 

However, that article made me think a lot about the things I do. How many of us find ourselves checking our phones ever so often, even when it does not ring/beep? I do. I have this fear that there is a text or a call that came in which I didn’t notice. The first thing I do when I get back to my table in the staffroom after lessons is to check my phones. I do that too after I went to the washroom or have a shower. At mealtimes, I have them next to my plate; when I watch tv in the living room, they are placed right in front of me at the coffee table and when I do my work, they are strategically propped on each side of my laptop so I just need to look left or right if there’s a notification. My life revolved around them. *Stares into space for a while as that thought sinks in*

I’ll be honest. I do miss my phones. It feels unnatural not having something in my hand, swiping at the screen to check things. It feels awkward not being able to tap at the calendar, see all the appointment dates and deadlines and tell someone I have to be at this place at this time for this thing so we need to reschedule. Still……..I am beginning to appreciate the silence. Maybe, I’ll extend the three days to five. Hmmm…