So… long story short, my cell phone randomly broke recently, and it took two weeks for the Simply Mac store here in Lubbock to get me a new one. Being the impatient young adult that I am, it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park to be phoneless for that amount of time. Now that I have finally gotten over the frustration of being out of the loop for so long (I’m being a little dramatic, ok?), I’ve come to realize a couple things.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m from Frisco, TX, and as of late 2016, Frisco is THE fastest growing city in the U.S. In other words, I come from a competitive area where supply and demand is pretty close to perfect. When I was frustrated about not having a new phone in my hand the second mine broke, I found myself comparing Lubbock to Frisco. I’m so used to having the resources to immediately solve my first world problems, that it was hard for me to understand Lubbock just simply isn’t there yet. Millennials (like myself) have become impatient and demanding, and as a young individual in this day and age, it’s important to understand that not everywhere, everyone, and everything is “there” yet.

Another thing I learned is how much millennials truly rely on their cell phones. When I told Kirk, the owner of EMW, that my phone was broken, he freaked out and said, “I would literally die if I didn’t have my cell phone” (he’s a little dramatic, too). But, seriously, the entire time I didn’t have a phone I couldn’t help but think: “How the heck did people do ANYTHING before cell phones existed?”

We (millennials) expect to be connected to everyone and everything at all times. For those two weeks, I couldn’t call or text anyone, and it made it so difficult to make plans or do anything. We’re used to having cell phones to communicate with one another that we forget to communicate and connect with the people right in front of us.

Although it was just two weeks, it felt like a lifetime. No, I’m totally kidding. In all seriousness, though, not having a cell phone for a brief period of time did open my eyes a little. If we continue to be consumed in the world of cell phones and online relationships, our real-life relationships will suffer. I think it’s important, now more than ever, for millennials to put down our cell phones, take a big step back and become more focused on our surroundings.