The Bright Side of Going Dark

by Kelly Harms

You give people a distraction from their real lives and a false sense of familiarity that stands between them and having true connection, true community. Your impossible-to-live-up-to images make people think there’s no point in even trying to enjoy the messy real lives they have been given.”

See what life is like when you’re looking at it directly and not through a tiny screen.” She pauses. “Take some time to remember what your dreams really are.”

“The real version is always better. If you really want to quit your phone addiction and not just go rushing back to the Apple store at the first opportunity, I recommend you OD on the real-life versions of everything you previously did online.” “Like what?” I ask. “Go to the market instead of buying supplements online. Shop around. Talk to people there. Get your nutrition through actual food.” I shrug. This sounds less than thrilling, to be honest. She goes on. “Do yoga on the mountainside and then fall asleep in the meadow. Read a newspaper on the porch, and feel the cold pump water wash away the ink on your grubby hands afterward. Listen to one of Andy’s old records while you eat lunch and notice how you start chewing in rhythm. Go to town and ask for a map of the local stores and restaurants. Read a book even if it’s not what you would prefer, just to see what another genre is like. Take off your shoes and get your feet muddy down by where the frogs live. Wander around the neighborhood looking for someone to talk to. Write things down, with a nice pen, on scrap paper, and stuff the bits of ideas in your pockets so you’ll meet them again at the end of the day.”

“Everything you can do on a phone you can do better without a phone. Except the self-numbing and avoidance. Just skip those.”

That’s her secret: if you are unwilling to reshape yourself every time the times change, you are, effectively, timeless.

“It’s better,” I realize aloud, “if you just run at the truth full speed.”

There are things you know you want in your life, that you know are good and right and true the moment you realize they exist. Things that you can only miss if you’re not paying attention.