Running Without a Phone is a Luxury
I ran without a phone for the first time in a long time, and it felt oh-so-good. Besides the extra weight in my pocket, it was like I could pay attention (what a novel concept), to my footsteps, to my breathing, and to the world around me. I realized it's such a luxury to not have the digital brick weighing me down, that I can spend the next 40 minutes without red dots, without the easy access to the black hole of endless content designed to suck us in.
When I first started running a few years ago, I'd pick out podcasts, music, whatever to keep me motivated, distracted. Then, slowly, I'd run with no phone. I'd only use it if the route was unfamiliar. I'm terrible at directions and have a fear of getting lost. In the last several months, I went back to using the phone because I wanted to document my process, and I got into a game called Pikmin Bloom. Yes, while it was cool to capture the gorgeous sunset, the cute dogs, selfie with friends, and to plant digital flowers, it made running feel...crowded, complicated, heavy.
Having the space for a one-track-mind seems to be a luxury these days. I find myself with so many half-baked tasks. I'd start to fold my laundry then eat my lunch, then respond to messages, only to come back and find my laundry still on my bed, and there's a half a bowl of noodles left. When was the last time I just folded laundry, I just ate lunch, I just ran?
I'm ready to go back to the luxury of just running.