Hello everyone!
There was a day when I truly understood how vital my phone was in my daily life, and it was one of those experiences that made me appreciate things we often take for granted. I had just come back home from school, and as usual, we had been supplied electricity.
In my mind, I didn’t see the need to charge my phone immediately because we usually had constant electricity in my area. I thought, “Why bother charging it now? I’ll just plug it in later jare.” That decision came back to haunt me in ways I wasn’t prepared for.
By the time I woke up the next morning, there was no light. But I wasn’t too worried; after all, the power always came back during the day. So I continued using my phone, with the mindset that they would restore power soon. To my suprise the day passed ,and the light never came. Hours passed, and I could see my phone battery draining slowly, bit by bit, and I started getting anxious. I told myself not to fold because the power would return at any point in time—but then it didn’t. By afternoon time, my phone was completely dead.
That was when it felt as if a vital part of me was missing. I hadn’t realized how much I relied on my phone until it was no longer available. Suddenly, I couldn’t chat with anyone, check social media,perform bank transactions, watch YouTube, or do anything that has become part of my everyday routine.
During this period, I felt a weird sense of disconnection from the world, and it was almost as if the time had slowed down. Normally, I’d spend my day going from one social media app to another, keeping myself entertained or occupied, but now I had nothing.
I tried to distract myself, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of boredom and frustration. It was almost like I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore. I was just bored and I had nothing else to do, so I ended up falling asleep more than usual.
Although, there was a strange calm in that, there was no constant notifications or messages to distract me. Also, I realized I was getting more rest without the phone, but I still didn’t enjoy the overall experience.
The next morning came, and to my suprise, the light was still out. It was at this moment that I decided to vist one of my friend who lived nearby. He and I attend the same university, and luckily for me, his family had solar power at their house, so they never experienced power outages and on that day he was at home. So I left home and after walking for some time, I reached his place. As soon as I plugged in my phone, there was just this happiness and joy that i felt inside me. I literally had butteflies in my belly!
Now, when i go there that day, we ate, watched movies, and played football in their compound with his junior brother and one of his friends. It was actually refreshing to be around people and enjoy something as simple as a movie, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but keep checking my phone as it charged, and i was just waiting for it to come back to life and get to 100% again. As soon as my phone was fully charged, i headed back home. Later that day, the power finally returned at home, but by then, I had already learned my lesson.
Ever since that experience, I’ve made it a thing to always charge my phone, even if there’s no immediate need. I don’t want to find myself in that situation again. But looking back, I realized that while phones are an essential part of our daily lives, they can also be a distraction. The time I spent without my phone gave me space to think, rest more, and even connect with friends in ways that didn’t involve technology.
Honestly, I wouldn’t want to go without my phone for even just a day again, but it did make me become more aware of how much I depend on it and how sometimes, stepping away from it , can offer some unexpected peace.
In the end, i believe it’s all about balance. Yes, my phone is my source of entertainment, productivity, and communication, but there’s also a world outside of that little screen. That day reminded me that even though our phones are important, they aren’t everything.
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