"FREE! FREE AT LAST!"
"TODAY IS THE DAY!"
It was 11:50pm on September 30th, and I was ten minutes away from being freed. I
must have hung up 50 posters in preparation for the upcoming day. October 1st, 2011. The
day I was ungrounded.
One month prior, I had been sitting in my room, laptop on my lap, cell phone in
hand, and Facebook windows open, when, suddenly, I heard someone coming up the steps.
The person was advancing fast. Too fast. I scrambled to throw my phone across the room,
close out of Facebook, open any remotely intellectual page, open my textbook, and make it
seem as if I had been doing my AP summer assignment.
I was too slow.
"VIENNA!" My mother screamed. "That's IT! Give me EVERYTHING!"
She's bluffing, I sneered to myself, as I proceeded to roll my eyes and give one last
plea of, "I need my laptop for school work!"
It didn't work this time.
And she wasn't bluffing.
"No cell phone, no iPod, no laptop, and no Facebook for a month! I've HAD IT with
your procrastination!"
I felt as if she was banishing me to a deserted island for the next 30 days; everything
was so dependent on electronics - social networking, school assignments, the news, and
the media... I was in for a rude awakening.
The first week was the hardest; I was unable to search readily who was doing what
with whom and what was going on in my friends' lives. But, after I survived the initial
shock, I began accepting my punishment. I started spending more time with my family,
focusing on my schoolwork, practicing the piano, and painting. I was finally living for me.
This realization didn't come without a repercussion, though. I soon began seeing which
friends were truly loyal, as they were no longer able to text me or message me on
Facebook. Communicating took time and effort, something that most of them were unable
to commit to. Soon, most drifted away. I was watching my life continue without me, but I
wasn't entirely remorseful. I was learning the important qualities in life, seeing for myself
how materialistic the world had become.
On October 1st 2011, as soon as I regained possession of my iPhone, I drove straight
to the AT&T store and downgraded to a simple texting phone. I left my Facebook account
disabled and let my friends carry on without me. Even though my life was moving on and
leaving me behind, it was okay. I was okay. I didn't want to be a part of it anymore.
Through this experience, I learned so much about myself and who I wanted to be. I
was able to step out of the social bubble I was trapped in and evaluate my priorities and
who I was becoming. To this day, I still thank my parents for enforcing that penalty. Their
punishment turned into the greatest gift of all. They gave me freedom. Free, free at last.