The Leave Your Phone At Home For A Day Challenge

So last week we had a conversation over a company meal about technology and how kids depend on technology to get through the day. You know, Minecraft this, Fortnite that, YouTube blah blah blah... and the conversation ended up one of those Boomer-esque "Back in my day" type game of comments and one-upsmanship around the table, so  I asked the question "Which one of you could go without your phone all day long?" Initially, everyone said they could do it, but as the talks went on, everyone seemed to realize just how dependent they were on their smartphones. I think Critter is the only believable person at the table claiming he could go without his phone, and he's not lying. He hates being so available at any given time. It was a good conversation.

In a major case of irony, I walked out the door without my phone this morning, and I'll admit, it feels weird. I'm not the type of person to be glued to my phone, it just sits on my desk most of the day and comes home with me at night. I'm also not the person that gets a ton of calls and texts either, and I'm thankful for that. My family will usually chat most of the day in a big group text thing, but I don't normally involve myself unless I find a moment to pop a savage joke, but it's a rare thing... but still, it feels weird. It feels like 2005 when smartphones first hit and everyone stopped wearing watches. I wore a watch everyday from the age of twelve til my twenties, so when there was no longer a need for them, it took a few weeks to feel normal not swinging that weight around. That's kind of what not having a phone is like, but as weird as it feels, it feels sort of normal.

Before the turn of the century, cell phones weren't real common. Nobody had them until Nokia reached a deal with carriers and started giving them away for free. Even after everyone bought into having that first classic brick of a phone, it was still sort of odd. All of a sudden we were all lugging around a pound of technology. Most initially opted for belt carriers because they didn't fit in pockets and trying to show off those awesome and stylish faceplates. Texting was lame because every text cost one minute of call time and the idea of sending pictures was so far out there, nobody even thought of it. It was a weird time for technology among mortals and hilarious to think about it in retrospect.

It makes me wonder, how many people could actually go without their phone for a day? Could you?