It was a regular work/school day morning. Lunches were made, coffee was brewed and bags were packed. As usual, I start my morning pretty early, and then before you know it it’s time to hustle my toddler out the door, strap him into his car seat and jump into the driver’s seat to hit the road. Suddenly, I realize: I don’t have my phone. I could have sworn I stuck my ball and chain in my dress pocket. I no longer felt the hard, rectangular object pressed against my outer thigh. “Damn it”, I thought. I looked at my toddler who was happily distracted with his mini, orange giraffe. I could not justify taking him out of the car seat to make our way back inside to look for a phone. I could have sworn I stuck it in my pocket.

“Okay, Anika. It’s a no phone day today”, I thought gloomily. I had a brief panic. How can I spend an entire work day without my favorite apps: Podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Block Puzzle, Amazon, and even my weather app? Suddenly I thought, this is a great mini experiment to see what life is like without being plugged in. I then started to think about the near future where AI may synch two entities together. For some, there will no longer be a need to panic without one’s phone. All interfaces will be interconnected, whether through a brain chip, AR glasses or something in between.

Surprisingly, I made it. The work day was productive, if there was an emergency those that needed to connect with me would have been able to do so with ease. Eventually, I found my phone and all was right in the world. As someone that did not get my first cell phone until 2004, my device has quickly surpassed the importance of my wallet. What about you dear reader, have you experienced not having your phone for more than 6 to 8 hours? I am looking forward to your responses, blessings!