I hear my alarm go off in the morning and I grab my phone to turn it off, but I don’t put the phone down. I immediately check my notifications like I do almost every morning, which informs me that someone on instagram added to their story, someone on facebook liked my post, and pandora misses me and wants me to keep listening to music. Clearly nothing of importance but I click on the facebook notification anyways. I scroll through my newsfeed to keep my mind occupied. It’s almost like I am purposefully trying to ignore the responsibilities I need to accomplish. I find fake news articles or articles that just try to distract you from what is really going on in the world like the one titled, “Witches around the world plot mass spell against Trump.” I switch to instagram, but all I find is validation seekers and advertisements for the newest shoe trends. I feel unfulfilled with the insignificant information posted on my screen. I scroll for an hour through all of my social media accounts: instagram, facebook, and snapchat. I feel isolated from people and myself the more I do this because I am not experiencing anything but a lazy morning alone.
Royal Lake Park is one of my favorite parks to walk through. The trails border the lake, with at least a couple miles a head to explore. I hike the trails with my best friend because enjoying a scene like this one is best shared with someone you care about. We see green trees and under bush and hear birds singing the whole way. We see squirrels running after each other and chipmunks sprinting for cover. We observe geese in the lake trailing behind one another and fish making plopping noises as they get close to the surface. So much life surrounds us and it reminds me that the earth we reside on is not just for people. The creatures that live among us deserve to be appreciated and left alone to live and prosper. I love appreciating the beauty and serenity of the scenes around me. I enjoy how connected I feel with my friend and mother nature. It made me think about how feeling care free sometimes is important for our mental health. I only thought of how happy I was and why. Never did I stop to worry about my appearance or school or any other problem I was currently having.
These different experiences taught be that being productive is much more rewarding than procrastinating on my phone. I was losing myself in a digital world when there’s a real world full of positive experiences. Not only did I get the necessary physical exercise everyone needs on my walk, I bonded with a friend and reminded myself that there are better ways to spend my free time. My time with my friend reminded me you can not connect with people on a personal level when you are attached to a screen. Mother nature reminded me of my passion for animals and sustaining the earth that we share with them. My relationships with people and doing my part to make a more sustainable world is much more important to me then learning who is going to be instagram famous next.