Sarah's Smartphone Fast 2018

It's that time again! Happy New Year!!! 

I am a sucker for new year's resolutions. I always have at least one, usually four  because it's hard for me to pick just one. For years I had "quit smoking" and "drink less" on my resolution list. Years! Not anymore. Booyah! Check! Check! Got those major life suckers off my list. Well, this year I have a mother resolution.  The resolution of the century!!! I have decided to give up my smartphone for a year. I am calling it "Sarah's Smartphone Fast 2018" or SSF18. Da Da DAAA!

 I just figured that after going an entire year without a sip of alcohol, I can do ANYTHING! I pretty much feel like a super hero, so maybe giving up my smartphone won't be so hard. This past year has taught me so much about what I value in life, and what I don't, and most importantly: to choose wisely.  I want to clean out anything that prevents me from living a full life. My smartphone is one of those things. 

So, adios, old friend. Smell ya later!

"Are you crazy?  How are you going to SURVIVE?"

Part of me thinks, "Holy crap, are you insane?! How are you going to wake up in the morning, or listen to audio books, or check your email, or buy stuff you don't need on Amazon, or not get lost!? What on Earth are you going to do while waiting in a long line?!" 

First of all, calm down. I have done this before. I didn't have my first smartphone until 2011, when I was over 30. I do remember how to check out a libary book and read a ferry schedule and what about maps? Remember those? Yeah, those massive things were a pain in the ass (sorry map lovers out there), but you know what I am good at? Asking for directions! (It's all about flashing a confused smile. Works like a charm!)

Anyway, back to my plan... Oh, yes! And books! I love those little stinkers. Plus, I will still use my computer to check emails and make reservations.  Life won't be as convenient, but maybe I won't waste so much of it. Convenience comes at a cost, and missing out on life is a pretty high one.

"Ummm... Just a Thought, but Why Don't You Just Put it Down?"

Well, there's an idea. I wish I had thought about that before I threw my phone into the Puget Sound. (Just kidding. No phones were harmed during this challenge).

Yes, I have tried that, I promise. I'm not that extreme. I just have no self control. It's different.

But here's what happens: I pick it back up!  

As soon as I find an idle moment, or sense that my daughters and husband aren't looking, it is back in my hands. Oh, and when I accidentally leave the house without it, I feel panicked. If the battery is too low, I text everyone that my phone is about to die and try to find anyone who can lend me a charger.

This is not normal behavior, people. It's weird. It isn't natural. My phone should not control me.

The truth is, just the the idea of doing this makes me feel like I'm in a teeny tiny little boat trying to paddle back in time by getting over this humongous, powerful wave heading into the future. That wave is going so fast, I worry that we're not paying attention to where it's going to hit. What is happening to connecting with others? I see kids, toddlers, being handed devices anytime they are unsettled. What is this doing to their development? Remember how we used to worry about too much tv?! This is like that problem on crack. And have you seen us lately?  Heads down, fixated on this little screen, missing the moment; missing life.  I'm really worried about us. 

Don't get me wrong. I love my smartphone, we all do, but herein lies the problem.

According to an app I recently installed on my phone called Moment, I have picked up my phone 91 times a day in the past week. I have spent 12%  of my waking time on my phone!  Granted, I am not working this week and have more free time to kill, but why am I killing my free time?! That seems like a ridiculous thing to do! As I have gotten older I have learned that time is one of my most precious commodities and I am killing it with my stupid phone?!  

What I DO Want

I have recently learned to stop thinking about the things I don't want and focus my attention on the things I do. It's amazing how my life changes for the better when I remember this simple trick. I invite in all of the good. 

So, here goes:

I want to live a simpler, more fulfilling life and be more present so I can enjoy it. I want to watch my girls doing gymnastics without worrying about what recipe I need to look up, or what fun activity I should search for on Pinterest or what Trump is doing to destroy the world. I want to see what kinds of amazing things I can do with all of the extra time that will be freed up when I am not transfixed by my phone. (I am full of ideas. Watch out, world!)

I truly believe that my life can hold so many more wonders than I am allowing to enter in because I am so checked out. I want to spend more time with the people who matter in my life. I want to spend more time on the things that matter, period. Remember Little House on the Prairie? Those people had it together and not one of them used a smartphone. 

"Why Should I Care?"

Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. That's totally up to you. I definitely have a lot of thoughts to share,  plus, let's not forget about the entertainment value. I compare myself to an adult trying a new physical activity for the first time (like imagine your adult best friend attempting to ride a bike for the first time). It's highly entertaining and often hilarious to watch. There's always a lot of wobbling and falling and flailing at first, and that's funny shit. But of course you are rooting for them to keep going! "You can do it!", (because you totally want them to succeed, and my God! You haven't laughed this hard in years!). I will be your best friend learning to ride a bike for the first time. I promise there will be flailing.

Maybe you'll laugh at all of the challenges I face going "smartphone free", or maybe you'll be inspired to join me on this journey (C'mon! The more, the merrier!) or, maybe I'll become some kind of enlightened spiritual goddess guru who has amazing things to share. (Hey, zip it! Jeez! Anything is possible!) Who knows what will happen. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Mostly, I am writing this for myself - to keep me accountable, to chronicle this journey and to start taking photos again, because my soul was suffocating without that passion of mine.

So here I go. I'm really doing it. I just ordered a LG flip phone and signed up with Cricket (which will save me $70 a month, by the way!) This journey is starting. Sarah's Smartphone Fast 2018! Woot! Woot!