By: Helene Pinto
Lately, I have been listening to political commentary on YouTube and podcasts about the oceans, women’s empowerment movements, and creepy world history, rather than scrolling endlessly through Instagram and Facebook ( I am old, I know). I spent (much longer than) an hour on social media, this week. I started by listening to Hasan Piker’s political reactions on YouTube, while I folded my laundry and put it away. Then, I took my phone to the bathroom with me and scrolled through Facebook marketplace looking for a bar for my new condo. No luck. I moved onto Snapchat and Instagram to watch some friends’ stories and catch up with the handful of friends I talk to regularly. Next, I took a shower and played Bob’s Burger’s while I was in there. Waterproof phones are a much-appreciated technological innovation. I’ve seen every episode at least a dozen times so I don’t really need to pay attention. I washed up while internally giggling at Louise’s antics and Gene’s witty banter. I finished and dried off and started making dinner. I wore my Airpods while I cooked and made some chicken parmesan. My hour was up, but I kept on listening to my phone. I (half) jokingly explain why I am always listening to something by saying I am avoiding being alone with my thoughts. I’m sure it’s true.
The next afternoon, after a filling lunch of leftover chicken parm, I drove to Great Falls National Park. I brought with me a water bottle, a mask, and my sunglasses. I regretted not grabbing my hat from the trunk. I purposely left my phone in the center console because I knew it would be easy to get distracted and want to take pictures of the views! I am not someone who takes tons of pictures, and often have no tangible evidence of a memory. My Tinder bio is longing for a picture of me holding a fish or standing at the top of a hill. I took off on a familiar trail since I didn’t have my phone and didn’t want to risk getting lost or injured. I took a gravel path toward the overlooks. It was incredibly hot and sunny, and the weather made the splashing water look that much more enticing. The view was gorgeous, as the sun was starting to lower a bit and reflected off of the river and rocks so beautifully. I veered off the path a bit and climbed down a few boulders, and over a few logs to reach this little cove-type opening closer to the water. You can sit there and snap some great pictures. Obviously, I couldn’t do that. Instead I laid my sun-shirt down on the rock and laid on top of it. I closed my eyes and let the heat from the sun wash over me, and I listened to the rushing water and the chirping birds, and the buzzing of the flying insects that refused to leave me alone. It was almost serene, had those bugs left my ears and nose alone. I remembered all the fun memories I’ve made exploring Virginia. I grew up in Florida, and while I love the ocean and the culture and palms of the beach town, I appreciate the very different experiences I’ve had here. The fact that waterfalls can exist on a non-flat surface, the experience of a beautiful spring following a dismal winter, and the crunch of dried leaves as summer passes into autumn is a completely foreign experience for me. I laid there until the rock got too hot and gave me a headache. It was time to head back. I would have loved to stay longer but it was way too hot, and I hadn’t brought a hat or sunscreen to reapply.
These two hours were vastly different. One was spent in my cool, air-conditioned home. I learned about the world around me while I did some chores and escaped my reality for a bit. The second hour also taught me about the world around me and let me escape reality as well. Only, in nature I was enjoying the positives of my reality, and not completely avoiding it. We can learn a lot from any experience, if we are open to it. I think I preferred the hour outside more than the hour on my phone. I like the global connection I get from the internet, but the connection to Earth is a more wholesome one.