I lost my phone last night.

A friend and I were walking back to my college Chaplain's house for fireworks & other November 5th Festivities, and she mentioned how she'd once left her phone behind during a lecture, panicked for 5 minutes, but then realised how 'liberating' it felt. She challenged me to 24 hours without my phone, at the same time next week.

Irony would of course have it that on that very same evening I would be stupid enough to let my phone slip down the side of a sofa, & not notice its absence on the way home. Liberating isn't exactly the word I would've chosen. 18 hours later and it has been returned safely to its owner, but I wasn't happy!

Why am I so attached to it? Does it really give me that much of a sense of security? (This is the point where many older readers will inevitably chip in with a helpful comment such as 'well, we always managed just fine in my day...')

Being connected is now seen as a right, not a privilege. Another friend joked "Isn't it one of the basic requirements for life: Energy, sunlight, H2O, space & internet?"

I almost resent the dependence (dare-say addiction?) on being able to call or text anyone, being able to look anything up on the internet, or check my email whenever I want...

...but probably not enough to give it up for a whole day intentionally.