Every Summer since my sophomore year of high school, I've gone camping with my cousins and some of our friends in the middle of this small town in Connecticut. At first, I was upset that my phone didn't pick up service from our campsite deep in the woods. We would try to go all around the campground and get service-but for what? Did I really feel the need to constantly look at my phone? I've been thinking about all of this recently, and when I went to our annual camping site this past weekend, I decided to put my phone down. No wifi, no service, and honestly, no distractions. I think that as a generation, we have become so accustomed to our phones that we fail to see the beauty of everyday life around us. Of course, I'm not hating on the internet here, since my future career revolves around the internet and news-but every once in a while, it's a good idea to disconnect from the world. What happened to just conversation? Instead of text messaging and phone calls-why not have an in-person conversation with someone? If you want to talk to someone thousands of miles away, then a phone is necessary. But what I can't stand is when you are face-to-face with someone and they'd rather be staring at their phone screen. Put down the phone and look up-you'll be surprised by the results. So without service and without the distraction of online social media, the five of us in the "camping crew" had the chance to just hang out with each other. We participated in a cardboard boat race-which was actually so exciting. You'd think a piece of cardboard and some duck tape wouldn't be considered "fun," but we made it the best part of the weekend-and beat everyone else with our sick boat.
We played some mini-golf, sat around a picnic table with a deck of cards, and of course, had some intense Mario Kart battles. Games aside, my favorite part of the weekend was when we took an adventure walk throughout the campground. We ended up at this small pond, and just sat around each other and told scary stories in the dark. Those moments are the best-sitting on the swing set with nothing but the night air surrounding us, or playing manhunt and bringing back childhood memories. I look forward to camping every Summer solely for these memories. It's almost like forgetting about reality for just one weekend, and getting lost in the wilderness and serenity of the world. So before you spend your life away in the midst of the online world, take a step back, and remember that it's okay to disconnect and spend quality time with people around you. You won't regret it.
