The bus driver who called me out on my phone addiction

Last Tuesday this older bus driver on the 42 route just looked at me through his mirror and said 'you know that screen will still be there when you get off, right?' I was scrolling for like 20 minutes straight without looking up once. It hit different because he was right - I had completely zoned out on the whole ride, missed the new mural on Main Street and everything. Since then I've been trying to leave my phone in my bag for at least half the commute. Has anyone else had a stranger on their commute say something that actually stuck with you?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellys7813d ago

Cracked me up when I read this because it's so true. I had a bus driver once just stare at me through the mirror until I looked up and he pointed out the window at a deer standing in someone's yard. Made me realize I miss so much stuff when my face is glued to that little screen. It's weird how a total stranger can call you out and it actually sticks because they're not trying to be your mom or anything. Kinda makes you wonder what else we miss every day just staring down at our laps. I still catch myself doing it but that moment sticks in my head.

michael_coleman1012d ago

Yeah, that's a good wake up call. I started doing something similar about a year ago, just forcing myself to look out the window for the first five minutes of any bus ride. You see some weird stuff. Once I watched this guy try to get his dog onto the bus in a duffel bag, didn't work out well for anyone. It's not easy though, the phone habit is strong. I still catch myself grabbing it out of my pocket if the ride is longer than 15 minutes.