A couple days ago my teammates and I were just chatting like we usually do about our futures and what home is gonna be like after the race when a thought popped into our heads. The whole race none of us have had constant data or constant wifi, what is it going to be like when we get home and everyone’s head is buried in their phones? We started talking about how we used to be when we were home and how we would have sleepovers or be at family functions and would constantly be on our phones. Sometimes in the middle of conversations, someone would text you or you get a notification and you just have to check it at that moment of time.
I realized how much technology can take away from us. I never realized it but I used to be so addicted to social media. I craved likes, follows, snaps, and messages from people. I received acceptance from my phone and social media. If I posted a picture of myself because I thought I looked super good and I didn’t get the amount of like I thought I should, my mind went straight to “Your not good enough and you never will be.” When we see a breathtaking view our first reaction is to take our phones out and post about how amazing this view was and how fun our trip was. At home, I wouldn’t get the things I needed to get done because scrolling through my phones and watching Netflix was more important than what needed to get done.
That night before going to bed I started thinking that being on the race I have met so many cool/amazing people. I have seen breathtaking views. I have made memories with my lifelong friends! Honestly not having access to my phone has been a blessing. I have been able to focus on my friends and build relationships with people and I am able to be fully tuned into what they are saying. I can look at a beautiful sunset without pulling my phone to make a post on Facebook about how amazing the sun looked. I can spend days at the ministry with my kids and not even think to pull out my phone to take pictures of them. I sometimes bring my camera and even forget to take pictures because I’m having so much fun. On our off days we go and get wifi and sometimes me and my teammates decide to do something else and get wifi some other times because honestly, 6 hours of wifi is too much for me. We realized when we do get wifi we don’t even look at each other. I am thankful because now I wanna be more self-aware of how much time I’m wasting being on social media. I wanna enjoy time with my family and friends back home. I wanna go do fun things and travel and take in these things!
I’m not writing this blog to make you feel bad about what you’re doing because its good to be connected to people. But its when we let technology consume our lives that we miss out on what truly matters. Life.
