I used to wake up, 10:00 am, on Saturday mornings. I used to feel the blistering sun rays on my forehead, as I got up from bed.  The sun always had this incredibly inviting appeal to it.  The sun would rise so high up in the sky, hoping to grasp my attention, where it wanted me to acknowledge the beauty of its rays, shining on the surface of the Earth. For the day it would see me staring breathlessly at the captivating world that laid outside my bedroom window. It seemed as if that day would never come. Not until today. I always seemed to find myself staring at a parade of text messages filling up my iPhone screen. I would lay back and read all the words sent to me, and as time continued to move forward, I sat in the past, focusing on the texts that were sent hours before. By the time I had completed what seemed to be the most important task that had to be done, the sun was well up in the sky and I had missed the entire morning.

 

Not anymore.

 

Past.

There we were, the three of us. Running to the red and green playground that was across the street from our houses. My sister, as always, ran up the red, swirly slide, never slipping or gliding. Only with her skill and stability could anyone have been able to make it up that fast.

Once she made it to the top, she yelled at the top of her lungs, “Last one up is a rotten egg!”

My best friend and I ran so fast, as if there were bears on our tail. In an effort to run with speed, I ended up tripping on a large rock, flew in the air, fell on my knees, and rolled on the ground.  But, I still managed to get up and run even faster, just so I wouldn’t be the last one to the top. The adrenaline made us feel like we were running a marathon, and once we made it to my sister, who was standing at the top of the playground with her elegant posture, watching us, eager to see who would win, we noticed that both my best friend and I were jumping up and down with joy.

We tied.

My best friend and I made it to the top at the same time, where we shared the victory. That was the best feeling ever. It seemed to be such a great accomplishment. Although, when I glanced down to my knees after feeling a sting, I saw a scratch running down the length of my leg, from the fall. My sister took me by the hand and sat me down. My best friend opened the small backpack that she always carried around with her, lifted a bandage out of it, ripped the paper off it, and placed it over the wound. A gradual smile appeared on all of our faces and in no time, we played the last round of our game, and then moved on to our favorite activities. I went go on the swings, my sister slid down the slide, and my best friend attempted to complete what seemed to be the most difficult monkey bars.

 

Hours passed, so we hurried home for a lunch break. We went to my house that day, where my mom was standing in the kitchen with a tray of sweet, yellow lemonade and a plate of crunchy chocolate chip cookies on the side. I ran to the table, pulled out three seats, one for each of us, and we all sat and ate together. Our conversation was both engaging and interesting, while we ate. We talked about our adventure at the park and how brave I was to keep running up to the top of the playground, even though I tripped and got injured. My mom stood there with a smile on her face, that seemed as though it would never disappear. When we had finished, we ran over to another, different playground, the blue one with the two gigantic hills that was behind our houses, and thus we embarked on another one of our thrilling adventures.

 

That was the last time.

 

It seemed as if summer and fall flashed before my eyes, and in no time, winter had appeared on my front steps. The gigantic, green field that was once filled with numerous weeds and dandelions, now had a layer of beautiful white snow. I woke up that morning in a winter wonderland. As a kid, whenever I saw a fresh layer of sticky snow, it meant that it was time to go sledding. I went down the stairs, and as I stepped down, I heard a creaking sound. Something was wrong. The excitement I felt was extraordinary, so I ignored that small issue and I immediately went over to my older sister and asked if she wanted to go with me and my best friend sledding on the hill.  She was sitting on the brown, leather couch in our living room by the television, as she gazed down at her new iPhone that she just gotten as a present for her birthday. The first time I asked, it was as if I was invisible and she couldn’t to hear me. She didn’t even look up. I asked again. Nothing. It seemed like she was mesmerized with whatever laid on the screen, and when I peaked over, she snapped and covered her screen with her other hand. She told me to leave her alone, and that she would rather play with her new phone than go sledding with us. So I guess she did hear me.

 

I still went sledding that day, but it was just me and my best friend. We stopped by the red and green park that was on the way, and I journeyed to the old and rusty swings. My best friend was hanging upside down on the monkey bars, and imitated a monkey. I glanced over at the slide. No one was there.

 

The day went by so fast, it felt as if we had only enjoyed a good three runs on the hill and it was already time for lunch. After realizing the time and how late it was, we decided to venture our way home. My best friend asked why my sister did not join us, but no matter which way I phrased it, it just didn’t make sense. Why would someone willingly choose to sit at home and stare at a screen all day, instead of sledding down the largest hill in the neighbourhood?

I soon found out.

 

Months had passed and soon the school year came to an end. I just finished sixth grade, my best friend completed seventh grade,  and my sister was on her way to high school. It was the first day of summer, but was most importantly, my best friends 14th birthday. What a great day, I thought. We celebrated at her house with cake, pizza, pop, and a bunch of other snacks. That year, my sister and I had gotten her a large, soft, and green blanket, the one she had begged to get a hold of for months. We, along with all the party guests, sat in a semi circle around my best friend, so that we could present our gifts to her. My sister and I were shaking with excitement. We were thrilled to give her the present, but we were more eager to see her priceless reaction. We decided to give her the gift near the end, so that she would be even more surprised. My best friend had a smile on her face that looked as if it was a tattoo and was permanently stuck on her face, the entire time she was opening gifts. It was finally our turn to give our present to her, so we did. She took one look at it and immediately let out a loud shriek. We laughed. She jumped up and down several times. The feeling of joy. She looked at the two of us and ran over to give us a gigantic hug. I will never forget that. But the excitement of our gift did not last much longer The final gift she received was from her parents. It was a small, rectangular box with a big red, sparkly bow placed in the center. At first, I thought it was a perfume, but from the look on my sisters face, it seemed to be something much better. She was wrapped in the blanket we got for her as she opened the present. As she unwrapped the paper, I saw a big, bold title, “iPhone”. Everyone wore a smile, except for me. She ripped off all the wrapping paper and ran to give her parents a hug and kiss. I looked down and I saw the blanket thrown on the floor, abandoned along with the other presents.

 

The rest of the evening consisted of some people staring down at their phones, exchanging numbers and scrolling through their social medias, while the rest helped my best friend set up her own. I sat in the corner, watching everyone’s phones “hypnotize” them.

 

And that’s when she was gone too.

 

It was well into the summer, and the sun was high up in the sky. All I wanted to do was to go outside on a bike ride. I looked at my sister, she was too occupied on her phone. I called my best friend on our home phone, but she said that she was too busy facetiming her school friends. That did not stop me. I still ventured outside, all alone. I rode my bike all morning after eating breakfast. I rode around the two parks, up the hill, and to the store, to pick some food up for lunch. As I rode by the red and green park, I came to a stop. I walked over to the swings. I swang up and down, feeling the breeze on my face each time I was thrown upwards. I glanced over at the slide, then at the monkey bars. It came as no surprise that no one was there.

 

I came home just in time for lunch. Both my parents were at work, so it was just me and my sister. I, found that my sister had not moved from her place on the couch. She was no longer occupied on her phone, however, but instead watching a movie on her laptop. I went to the kitchen and made some sandwiches, with a side of kale salad, and some apple juice. I set the table beautifully, everything in its designated spot. I sat down on the table and called out my sisters name, so she could enjoy the meal as well. She came running down the stairs and I suddenly heard the same creaking sound I once heard a long time ago, while I was walking down the same stairs. She sat on the table, but she wasn’t alone. She brought her phone along with her. It seemed as if she did not even realize I was sitting right in front of her. She did not acknowledge my presence. She took a bite of the food, then scrolled down on her phone. It was like a pattern. When her plate was empty, and no longer filled with food, she looked up at me and said thank you. That was the only thing she said to me the entire time. But it did not last too long. In no time, she was back on the couch, where she continued her film.

 

Soon enough, I was doing the same.

 

A couple weeks later, my parents thought that it was a good idea to get me my own phone. I was always going on bike rides and walks, so they must have thought a phone would be great, especially to communicate when they were at work. A little voice inside my head said that it was an incredible idea, but all the while, I still felt that it was the worst thing that I could have owned.

 

I wish I listened to my gut feeling.

 

I got the phone on a Thursday. My sister was thrilled to see that I got a phone, so she set up everything for me. She even made me an account on a social media site. I started to understand why she refused to go sledding. The screen was so inviting, and there were numerous games that I could play, without even getting up! I finally understood.

 

When the school year started again, I would go to school with my sister, come home, finish my homework, and sit on the couch on my phone. It soon became a routine. I would sit on the couch for hours on end, post a picture on my account, and receive several likes and comments. That seemed to be the best feeling in the world and such a great accomplishment.

 

I too was under the spell.

 

The fun lasted a long time. Weeks turned to months. Months turned to years, and my life was set on repeat. It seemed as if I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without my phone. It felt like it was a part of me.

 

It all changed one day. It was a Thursday. I was walking home, staring down at my phone.  I heard a bird chirping in the distance. I looked up searching for its whereabouts, but instead of seeing a bird, the red and green park caught my attention.

 

“Why does it feel like I haven’t seen this park in years?” I asked myself.

 

I always walked by it, but never acknowledged it’s presence. I glanced over at the slide, no one was there. I looked over at the monkey bars, no one. Then, I peered over at the swings that seemed as if it had not been used in years, and no one was there.

 

I was not on the swings. I was on a couch, staring at a screen. I was not running up the playground, I was scrolling through posts on social media. I was not jumping up and down, because I made it to the top of the playground, sharing my victory with my best friend. I was smiling at my posts with over one hundred likes, especially when my best friend and I would get the same number. And I was no longer eating lunch on the table with both my sister and my best friend, where we talked to each other, face to face. I was texting them in a group chat, while we all sat in our own homes, even my sister who sat across from me.

 

Not anymore.

 

Present.

 

I no longer show happiness towards likes and comments, I barely post anything anymore. I walk home and enjoy staring at the world around me, appreciating the beauty of nature. I witness the changing seasons and I go outside and play. I now have a little sister. I take her to the red and green park and I play games with her in the gigantic field. I go on the swings, while my sister goes on the slide holding our sister in her lap, and my best friend teaches her how to conquer the monkey bars. We are no longer obsessed with the screens on our phones.

I am no longer obsessed.

I wake up in the morning and I watch the magnificent and heart warming colour spectrum  spread across the open sky. From red and yellow, to pink and purple.

I don’t want my little sister to stare at a screen all day. I don’t want her to feel that the only great accomplishments in life is to have the most likes on a picture.

I want her to go outside and make to the top of the playground. I want her to smile when she shares the victory with her friend. I want her to know that it’s okay to fall, you just have to get back up and keep running. I don’t want her to fall down, like I did when I got my phone, and not rise back off the ground, like I didn’t.

 

It’s a Thursday and I am about to go teach my little sister how to build a snow fort in our backyard. Before I leave, I am going to place my phone on the kitchen table and walk away.

 

I don’t give in.  Not anymore.

 

~hK

 

Feature Image:

Writer, Sammi Caramela B2B Staff. “Texting Your Customers: 3 Tips and Examples for SMS Marketing Success.” Business News Daily, 12 Dec. 2017, http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8732-text-message-marketing-tips.html.