So, I got a new phone… It’s a flip phone… Complete with a bright purple case and little dangling daisy charm.
And I’m SO happy with it. I love the the feel and sound of the metal charm that jingles between my fingers, love the satisfying clack of the phone when slamming it shut.
But mostly, I love the things I’m not experiencing because of this flip phone.
No More Scrolling
With my iPhone, I was starting to feel my brain rotting and oozing directly out of my eye sockets. My usual drug of choice was/is Reddit, and I could spend hours browsing the site. And I used to think that by getting on the app every day, I was keeping up with news of the world and doing lots of reading. I’d wake up like, two hours before the rest of my family, reach for my phone before even getting out of bed, get on Reddit and just continue to lay there. Gross.
And that entire window of free time before toddler duties, work responsibilities, and everything else about THE DAY would then disappear before my atrophying eyes. Because really, all I was doing was doom-scrolling at an ever-faster pace with my vision glazed over and brain cells dying and not retaining any of what I “read”.
It finally occurred to me that reading articles, posts, forums, discussion boards, and long threads of comments don’t really do the same thing for me as a good ole, dusty-ass BOOK. So, in the weekish that I’ve had the flip phone, I’ve made a trip to the library and have finished one of the five books I came home with.
My downtime between this, that, or the other which was usually filled with scrolling, has been lately spent reading. Like the book I’m reading right now? I keep that thang on me. I want to make it easy for myself to reach for the book and read each time I would be reaching for my phone to scroll.
No More Monopolizing
I mean, I get it. The purpose and beauty of a smart phone is that with it, you can centralize everything. All the apps, access, and availability make it where you can operate all your life’s business from a single device.
All your communication? Texting, calling, Facetiming, livestreaming, social media messaging, posting, commenting… you name it. All of it possible from the phone. All your entertainment? Reading articles, posts, books, watching videos, shows, movies, listening to music, or simply scrolling through social media… All of it from the phone.
But then, even the serious stuff like banking and bill pay, work necessities, home security, health monitoring… All of it is also taking place on this single chunk of metal and glass and I guess I’m just, looking to diversify? Even if only so it keeps the device out of my hand longer.
Because the maintenance and upkeep of everything I listed above just puts the phone in my hand more than I want it.
Plus, I already have that millennial tendency to still conduct IMPORTANT BUSINESS like making big purchases or logging into the bank on the larger, more trust-worthy computer lol. So it’s been easy to make the switch in those terms. I mean, really, I used my iPhone for like three things, and two of those things can actually be done on the computer, so…
No More Attachment
This next part about not being attached to the phone is where I feel the the strongest testing of my principles.
I have this meme saved (on my iPhone, of course… the irony is not lost on me) of a hand drawn scene of a woman carrying a child through their backyard garden, and the words say,
“I’m sorry I missed your call. It’s just that we were never meant to be available to everyone, all the time.”
And, well, that’s how I feel most days…
If I responded to every single notification, text, call, email, and overall dinging and pinging that comes from that damn phone, the thing would never leave my hands. With the “connection” that the smart phone provides, the flow of information and communication is neverending. So the attachment to the device is strong af.
No wonder we spend thousands of dollars on the latest models!
I just… need a break.
“But, Kacie!” My friends and family will cry, “You’re already impossible to get ahold of! How is anybody going to be in touch with you now?”
And, it’s true. When it comes to most smart phone-dependent communication, I’m slipperier than water and flakier than a biscuit.
So ack-shully, I’m hoping that using this flip phone will lend itself to me becoming better and more consistent with the type of communication I want to use my phone number for — calls and texts. Besides, we’ve planned for some workarounds.
Flip Phone Reality
Where we have compromised with — society, the digital age, Idk what — is in that we haven’t abandoned the iPhone completely. I’d be lying if I said that it’s not just convenient for business and work needs, but practically a necessity.
And since we’ve hem-hawed over whether or not to get new, local phone numbers since moving here from Colorado, this provided an opportunity to add a local line and number to the smart phone while keeping the numbers we’ve had for years now. Keeping our numbers on the flip phones lol.
Which also means — don’t worry, family. We can still FaceTime!
So, overall, I’m hoping for the best of both worlds…
I’m doing it for Dawsen, but the lifestyle change is going to permeate multiple aspects of my life and style. If I’m sitting nearby while Dawsen plays, I want her to see me reading a book instead of scrolling through my phone when she looks over. If she’s trying to get my attention, I don’t want to be so engrossed in my digital feed that I don’t notice.
Time feels like it’s flying by, and I know that the attachment to our solitary algorithms are, at least in part, related. These are the the things I think about in terms of the smart phone, these days.
Ok fine. I’m also thinking about aesthetic. That’s like 70% of the reason. Like I said — the charms, the sparkle, the satisfying clack of the phone.
And to end this novel of a blog post on a high note (to take the doom out of doom-scrolling, if you will), here’s a fun list of other things I’m enjoying from the era I snagged the flip phone out of
My Favorite Things From the Y2Kacie Transformation
-butterfly clips
-chunky charm bracelets
-Tiffany & Co. toggle necklaces
-platform sandals
-flares
-Lisa Frank folders and notebooks
-the movie “Uptown Girls”
-using a digital camera
-slowly turning my blog into MySpace
-using Sun-In to highlight my hair (don’t @ me about it)
-slang and acronyms like “saweet” and “lylas”
-predictive texting
-old-school emojis 🙂
-calling a local number to find out if there’s a burn ban
-calling time and temperature for the weather
-being outside every day
-French manis & pedis, neon nail polish
-sparkle, glitter, shimmer everything — my nails, my butterfly hair clips, my body lotion lol
-cozy, maximalist home decor
-indulging in the ultimate feminine (my inner girly girl)
-sharing some of my favorite things from childhood with my daughter
On the horizon for me:
-burning cd’s again
What you will not find on my graduated-in-07-ass:
-low-rise jeans
Now, all that’s left for me to do is get myself a pink Motorola razr(?) and my fully enthusiastic commitment to the flip phone will be complete.
I’ll keep you posted on that. 😀
lylas,
Kacie
