Chances are, you’re reading this on your phone. And if you’re not, you’re reading this on some piece of technology. And if you say you’re not, you’re lying to me. Or you printed this and you’re reading it off of a piece of paper, but I HIGHLY doubt it. Whenever I’m finished with this post, I’ll probably reread it a ton of times and publish it onto the worldwide web where anyone from anywhere can read it. Pretty cool right?

The internet is a cool place. Phones are cool tools. But I find that as we invent more and more tools to keep us connected to each other, we lose the connections we make in each other’s presence. Just a thought.

Plus sarcasm can’t be conveyed perfectly through text as it can in person. It’s a fact.

Now I don’t know about you, but I’m a HUGE fan of one trips. Whether I’m stacking bottles and boxes and cartons in my hands to take to the recycling bin while trying to peer over my overfilled arms to get that flip flop in between the right toes OR I’m yelling “ONE TRIP ONE TRIP” on repeat as my body burns with the burden of too many grocery bags cutting into my arms because there is no way I’m going back out there to get one more carton of eggs from the trunk of the car OR I’m going on a trip to Jamaica that my family has been saving up for for 19 years and I don’t want to miss out on anything, I try to make the most of every one trip (if my arms can carry more, I’ll carry more. Trust me on this).

But then again, I’m an addict. I love my phone. Probably not as much as most people considering I only got my first smartphone two years ago and it dies at 80% most of the time but hey, I love it all the same. I like getting Snapchats from friends and quenching my aesthetic with cute Instagram photos. I honestly just love getting tons of notifications from fans and people who adore me.

Just kidding. I’m joking. But seriously, every time I get a notification, I HAVE to check it. Like right now. Like as soon as I get it. Like this post is taking me 1000 times longer to write because I keep answering texts and snap notifications.

I like love the game Flow (even though I’ve finished the whole thing so I only survive daily with the streak thing it has going on) and I like the app Plant Nanny to track my water intake each day. The little flower is just SO CUTE! I enjoy taking pictures of things around me and looking at my Twitter timeline for not only drama, but also information on what’s going on in the world. I could spend hours a day on my phone and not even notice the day passing around me.

So I chose to leave it at home. For a week. While I was in another country.

Crazy. I know. I’m a psycho. Insane almost.

Alright I’ll stop.

It was probably the best week of my life. Honestly. Truly.

And even though it kinda sucked that I didn’t have a phone to take pictures of every beautiful thing I saw (and trust me, EVERYTHING was beautiful in Jamaica) and everyone else around me had their phones so I spent quite a bit of my time doing this,

I wouldn’t have had it any other way! I didn’t have to worry about anything or anyone but myself. It was a good time to recharge, rethink my goals, and just relax. Plus water and electronics don’t mix, especially when on an island.

Not having my phone also allowed me to take advantage of opportunities that I would have missed otherwise if I was looking down at my phone. It also allowed me to LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

Often it’s hard to live in the moment because what if this would look amazing on my snapchat story or match my feed on Instagram? Not having access to the internet or my phone was perfect because I was able to enjoy what I had in front of me. Plus I was able to eat my ice cream before it melted from trying to get the perfect shot. True story.

And yes, the struggle was real when trying to find where we were or directions of where to go because those who had their phones were not about to pay for international data for when we were on a lonely dirt road on the coast, but luckily, the people in Jamaica are lovely enough to not only point you in the direction to go, but also show you where to go by riding their bikes in front of your car and letting you follow them. They’re all legends.

I spent the last part of the last day in Jamaica at the beach. There was no one on the entire beach except my family and another family. While my family was on their phones either taking pictures of the sunset, utilizing the free wifi to watch Jake Paul roasts, or sending photos to other family members, I spent my time in the water looking out into the sea and watching the sunset next to the cliffs jutting out from the side of the island. It was beautiful. This was my view.

Since I was alone in the water, a five year old boy named Michael and a six year old girl named Kylar came up to me and wanted to be friends. And even though they asked me my name over 3 times, I couldn’t understand them half the time because of my limited exposure to patois, and both their moms gave me major side eye the whole time, we became fast friends.  We played around in the water until it got dark and they showed me how to do the Wonder Woman X with my arms to stop the waves from knocking me over because they weren’t tall enough to get past the part where the waves were breaking against the shore. Although, I’m pretty sure they’ve never even heard of Wonder Woman. The little boy even told me that his middle name was Jackson because his mom is such a huge fan of Michael Jackson. I’m easily impressed. We exchanged birthdays and then I had to go so we said goodbye and parted ways. I wouldn’t have met those two if I was on my phone like everyone else. I’m glad I did.

I was able to enjoy the people around me who were telling funny stories and the sights around me. I was able to enjoy being in my own presence. I was able to just live better.

Plus, as someone who is sometimes part sloth, I was able to go to sleep easier without any tossing and turning which is always a plus. Sure I was exhausted from climbing up waterfalls, swimming in oceans, and jumping off cliffs, but when it was time to sleep, my mind wasn’t buzzing with people I had to answer or what I had to get done and what was going on in my friends’ lives and what I was missing out on. I even passed out on my family’s porch on a couch and woke up with my body covered in mosquito bites. I was content.

So when I got back, my attitude changed. Maybe I don’t have to watch EVERY single Snapchat story available to me. Maybe I should unfollow Instagram accounts that don’t make me happy. I don’t have to answer everything right away if I don’t have the time. There are more important things than the puppy filter, like real puppies.

So spend time with puppies! Spend time with people! Spend time pursuing your goals and what you want to accomplish! Appreciate the things around you! Try going a week without your phone and let me know what you find. It’s a good way to recharge and find yourself so you can live your best life. And if you don’t believe me, check out my girl Lucie Fink’s video on her experiences with going without a phone here. It’s a good one. 🙂

Kasual kook xx

P.S. I just watched The Breakfast Club for the first time ever and I’m pretty hyped about it if you can’t tell.

P.P.S. If you haven’t read my last blog post about life lessons I learned in Jamaica, check that out now here.