Over the course of the semester, I have had some great opportunities to do some amazing things in Austin. Every single week brings a new adventure my way, but there have been three that really stand out to me this semester: kayaking Town Lake, going to my very first ACL, and hiking with my roommates at the greenbelt.
The first experience that I enjoyed this semester was kayaking Town Lake with my parents. In early September my parents were able to come down and hang out with me for a day, and as they are big nature lovers like me, I took them to Town Lake so that we could go kayaking. I had to use my phone to help us navigate to the parking lot by Austin High School so that we could park and go rent our kayaks. Once we got out on the water, I forgot about all my stresses and worries. The weather was quite warm but we didn’t let a little extra sweat stop us from having a great time. I used my phone to take a few pictures from an angle I was not normally able to capture- over the water. When I enjoy the outdoors, I like to take pictures that not only capture my experience, but from many different and sometimes unusual angles.
The second adventure I had was at Austin City Limits. I had never been to ACL before this year, and wasn’t planning on going this year until I got a great deal on a ticket on Saturday morning. After quickly preparing and getting ready, my roommate drove my friends and I to Zilker and our day began. After walking in I already started absorbing the atmosphere around me. I had the opportunity to see many bands but my favorites were definitely Kendrick Lamar and the Chainsmokers. Kendrick Lamar’s act was so energetic and positive, and Kendrick really took control of the stage and performed most of his popular songs. He is one of the most talented rappers in the industry, and getting to see him live was very special to me. The Chainsmokers also brought an insane amount of energy as they got the crowd jumping and dancing with every song. I’ve never jumped more in my life than I did at the Chainsmokers’ set. My phone was very important to me at ACL for a couple of reasons. First, I used it to record many of my favorite songs being performed so that I could save my memories (and also show them to jealous friends.) Second, I used it to navigate to and from the park, and to call my roommate to pick us up when the night was over. Without my phone, we might not have ever made it home.
The last adventure that I had was an early morning hike at the Greenbelt. My roommates and I decided that we wanted to go on a hike and watch the sun rise, so a few weeks ago we all went to bed a little early on Saturday night in preparation for hiking the next day. We woke up at 6:30 Sunday morning, and drove out to the Greenbelt access point located near some office buildings off of Highway 360. After hiking back along the stream for a while we came to a rest and sat and watched the sun rise up above the trees. It was one of the most serene and peaceful experiences I have ever had. The air temperature was cool enough that mist was forming off the water at the Greenbelt, and the sun illuminated the mist in a magical way. Again, I used my phone to take pictures and document our adventure.
While I don’t rely completely on my cell phone, I definitely use it every day, and it is a part of every adventure I go on. Sometimes I need it for directions, other times to take pictures, but it played a small part in each adventure. However, it is important not to pay too much attention to your phone when you’re doing fun activities, because you will feel more if you focus on the things around you, rather than the world inside your phone. I try to remind myself this when I feel like I am taking too many pictures, or am not paying enough attention to my surroundings. Sometimes we worry too much about getting the picture that will get the most likes, but it is really important that we free ourselves of such shallow goals and immerse ourselves in the world around us.