As anticipated, Carly and Stella barged into Lindsay’s room to find her deep asleep with her pink glitter IPhone still in her hand. |
As noontime approached, Carly and Stella knew their friend Lindsay was not going to arrive on her own accord. She would need more than the gentle reminders of their texts to stir her from her nightly sleep. This was not unusual for Lindsay, who’s selfish and nonchalant behavior often left her friends waiting and plans broken. They treaded over her mounds of designer clothes strewn about her floor as they made their way to her bed. As both girls shook and shouted, Lindsay responded with an annoyed sigh and turned over. However, the girls remained determined to wake Lindsay from her sleep to begin their day that they had planned together.
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"Okay Lindsay, the morning is officially over. It's time to get up!" "Ugh. Fine, I'm up," groaned Lindsay bitterly. She picked her head up from her pillow and pulled her phone in towards her face, checking for messages. Carly and Stella looked at her with annoyance, as Lindsay has not put down her bedazzled phone since she got it. As she was getting dressed, Lindsay grumpily said, "If you guys want me to be awake for this, you need stop off so I can get some coffee!" On that note, the girls were off to their favorite coffee place, Dunkin Donuts, for a delicious iced pumpkin latte. Using her new Dunkin Donut app, Lindsay paid for the coffees, as they piled into the car somewhat ready to begin their day. However, just as the morning began with a hiccup, so did the rest of the day follow along. As they were driving, the car in front of them made an abrupt stop. Lindsay's initial reaction was to clench her hands, squeezing her coffee cup to squirt the tasty pumpkin flavored drink all over her shirt. "Oh my goodness! You have got to be kidding me. I want to go home," yelled Lindsay. As Lindsay began to dry off and calm down, the girls pulled up to the Apples Galore Farm. They parked the car, noticing there were not many cars or people around. An older man was standing outside of the quaint little country store. He watched as the girls walked closer. The man had a very friendly smile on his face and cheerily said, "Hello ladies, how may I help you today?" "No!” quipped Stella. “We are not giving up that easily. We are going apple picking and you are going to see there is more to life than just shopping and texting on your Iphone." Stella took out her phone to look up other apple picking farms. All of the ones nearby seemed to have the same dilemma of unripe apples for picking. After a few minutes of searching, Stella finally found one that was open and ready for picking. It was however an hour away in Pennsylvania, but with determination to salvage their plans, they decided to continue on their journey. Stella put the address into her GPS and they were off. At first, even Lindsay seemed to be having fun, as she picked her first apple and eagerly took a bite of one of the crisp and juicy fruits. However, it did not take long for Stella and Carly to turn around to see Lindsay on her phone taking a video of their fruit picking adventure. With quick motion, both girls ran over to Lindsay and told her to put her phone away. “Didn’t you see the sign when we walked in?” they yelled. In large red letters, it stated NO PHONES, NO PICTURES. Hoping that no one saw, Stella grabbed Lindsay’s phone and put it into her pocket. “Okay we’ll take it on three. One…Two…Thr…” All of a sudden, Lindsay felt a hand on her shoulder. “Excuse me miss, but we have a strict policy about phones and pictures. You’re going to have to come with me.” The house was plain and unassuming. Simple yet functional wooden furniture filled the rooms. Lindsay quietly admired the handmade quilts of beautiful colored fabrics sewn together with precise stitches. One of the girls handed her a dress to change into. Unhappily, Lindsay followed. The dress was black with a burgundy apron and a little white bonnet. Lindsay noticed that there were no buttons or zippers, but safety pins holding the dress together. She pulled her hair back into a bun, following the style of the other girls. Lindsay began her day with the loud crow of a rooster. There was a bucket of water to wash up. Miserably she brushed her hair and got dressed without any mirrors or makeup. By six a.m. she was taught how to milk a cow, feed the chickens and prepare breakfast. She did her chores with two other young Amish girls, Ann and Ruth, who tried to help Lindsay understand some of their customs and beliefs. Ruth asked Lindsay if she cooks at home. Lindsay explained, “College life does not allow for much cooking, but we call in for food all the time.” By dinner time, Lindsay was exhausted from her full day of chores. She fell right to sleep, only to start her day once again to the sounds of the rooster. By day two, Lindsay felt a bit more comfortable with her new surroundings. She dressed and pulled her hair into a bun. She didn’t mind helping with the cooking and baking, but she very much enjoyed quilting with the other girls. This was a very relaxing time where they would all talk and tell stories and where Lindsay learned many of the Amish customs and traditions. Finally, Lindsay learned that posing for pictures breaks the commandment of “no graven images or likenesses other than god” and also calls attention when they wish to remain humble and yielding to others. These beliefs are very important to their lives and traditions. Lindsay enjoyed her homemade dinner and sleeping by the fireplace as it crackled and warmed the house. Carly and Stella ran to Lindsay and exclaimed, “We missed you! Are you okay? Was it horrible?” Lindsay hugged them and said, “They took away my cell phone; they gave me a dress with pins for buttons; I had no makeup or mirrors; they woke me at 6 a.m. each day to milk the cows, feed the chickens and cook breakfast; I made bread, butter, and apple pie from scratch; I sewed quilts together; I cooked dinner; and I slept by a fireplace for three nights.” |
"Lindsay, the three of us promised to go apple picking together for Stella’s birthday,” noted Carly. Stella goes all the time with her family and thought it would be something fun to do with her friends. “You need to put down your phone and get dressed. Once you’re there, you will love it,” said Stella. However, by this point Stella was beginning to feel as if she were bothering her disinterested friend. "I don't know. There's a Pretty Little Liars marathon on that I really wanted to watch and don't want to miss," replied Lindsay. "You've watched that show a million times. You are coming and I do not want to hear any more complaints!" Stella and Carly grabbed Lindsay's arm and pulled her out of bed. While Lindsay washed up in the bathroom, they picked out an outfit for her from her floor. The girls grabbed napkins from the glove compartment and began dabbing, as they attempted to hold back their chuckles. "Don't be such a drama queen! I have an extra hoodie in my trunk. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. I'll give it to you when we get there," snickered Stella. "We were just wondering what we need for apple picking," answered Carly. "I'm sorry girls but the apple trees won't be ready for picking until next week." Another hiccup in the day’s plan, as the girls headed back to the car. "Oh well, I guess it's time to go home then," said Lindsay while staring into her phone. After a long drive of listening to the radio on the loudest volume to drown out Lindsay's complaining, they finally made it. They got out of the car and looked around. They noticed the meticulously lined rows of apple trees surrounded by large sculptured fields of corn blowing in the wind. The large white barn stood in the center of it all, as cows, goats and horses stood eating the grass. It was a beautiful sight. The people who lived on this farm were Amish. The women wore simple clothing of long skirts, aprons and bonnets. The men were in plain black pants and colored shirts with long beards and bowl shaped hairstyles. As the girls approached the farmhouse, an Amish woman greeted them with three brown hand-woven wooden baskets to carry their apples in. She guided them along the path deep into the sweet smelling orchards and showed them how to carefully twist the apples off of the tree branches. After a few hours and a basket full of apples, they decided it was time to check out and head home. “Guys, I really want to just get one picture in. No one is around. They won’t even know we took it.” Stella handed Lindsay her phone hesitantly. “Okay just one picture and then I’m taking it back!” The girls got close together, with the apple trees and barn in the background as Lindsay held the phone up. The man took her by the arm and walked her over to the barn. He confiscated her phone and told her friends that they would have to leave. He explained that Lindsay would be going to Amish prison for three days, where she would live the life of an Amish person and learn the reasons why what she did was so wrong. Carly and Stella did not want to leave, but promised they would be back in three days to pick her up. Lindsay was furious.
Lindsay then took her place in the warm kitchen among the other women to prepare dinner. Noticing there was no electricity or running water, Lindsay wondered how on earth they would be able to cook anything. They began to cut, chop, mix, knead, and stir. Everything was made from scratch including homemade bread, soup, stew and pie. Lindsay helped to prepare the dinner, yet she did not feel hungry. She went to bed early and fell right to sleep. Lindsay asked, “Why are there no mirrors in the house?” Ann explained, “The Amish believe in simplicity, humility and conformity. We are not vain and do not need mirrors to see how we look.” They continued on with their chores, as Lindsay helped with picking apples and making pies, along with learning how to sew the beautiful quilts she admired. After churning butter for hours, Lindsay did seem to enjoy how it tasted on a slice of freshly baked bread Day three seemed to be a carbon copy of the two before, but with Lindsay seeming to blend in and feel comfortable with her new and different environment. As evening approached, Lindsay realized that Carly and Stella would be coming to pick her up as promised. She said an almost tearful goodbye to her new friends and the family she came to know. As she was handed back her pink glittered IPhone, Lindsay realized that for three days she didn’t even miss it. Her days were filled with the wonderful simplicity of Amish life where she was busy from morning till night.
As they drove away, Lindsay was quiet for most of the ride home. With careful thinking and reminiscing of her three days in “Amish prison” she added, “I think I would like to come apple picking again, however next time, I will leave my cell phone at home!” |