I am writing this piece of text on a Sunday evening and I‘ve been without my mobile since Thursday evening. And presumably, my exertion with my mobile will be over by next evening and now seems the right time to recount all the beautiful moments I had in these couple of days sans my mobile.
I've been an introvert for most part of my life or to be exact till I got my first mobile when I joined college. And ever since it came into my life, it has brought a whole lot of changes and as they call it, it became indispensable, imperative; it became my sixth finger. I spend my days with it. It spends its days with me.
New insights
Now all of a sudden, my mobile got jammed and I had to give it for repair and quite simply I had to sit without my dearest mobile for three whole days. I wish fate was not this harsh. But the most beautiful thing about not having ‘someone to disturb you' all the way, is that you get time to spend with yourself. I did get that time, and I really relished every second I had this way.
Of course, I cannot recount all that I did in these couple of days, but I surely, can take a leaf out to say how many things we miss by being addicted to mobiles. First, I got the time to think about all the sorrys and thank yous that were long pending. I really started meaning the words “miss u”, which once used to be the most frequent message to my friends, because I really started missing them. My phone had been my alarm these three years. Now I found a clock inside my head that wakes me up at the time I want. It works!
I had time to finish reading two books that I loved so much and which remained unread all these years. I had time to open my old greeting cards, thank those people and moments, from my heart once again, for making me smile that much. I started to smile and greet friends whom I met in my way, a habit I lost some time back, when my head hung down responding to my beeping mobile. For the first time in three years I crossed the roads without mobile in my hands, and spoke to friends on my way, sans headsets on my ears.
I enjoy my short train and bus travel more these days. I realised there was much to be seen that had not been seen and lots to be heard that had not been heard, for quite some while. And now I found that I have all the time on earth to do my things which I once thought I never had. Life seemed beautiful, less busy and quite easy. I swear I didn't touch my text books these three days, neither would I advise you to. Those special books deserved more than mere boredom to drive me to study them.
Make most of it
We certainly can't throw away our mobiles. But just this, next time your mobile or even laptop or iPod or any other gadget crashes, just realise that you are blessed till it comes back to you. We don't have a long time; one day ours will be a packed life-we'd have roles to play, spaces to fill. There will be a time when our phones have to be stuck to our ears by glue.
There will be a time when mobiles will become actually indispensable and it's until then that do we really have some time for ourselves.
The most beautiful person of your life certainly is not packed with chips, screws and a display. It is your time to make a decision. And next time you see a silent college guy sans mobile in his hands, you may start guessing...it might as well be me.
Elangovan is a III Year Electronics Engineering student at Madras Institute of Technology
