I lost my phone the other day. Actually I broke it. Pretty Horribly. I was in the middle of a
conference about how to differentiate math work up to the advanced levels and
down to kids that need added support. It
was in my pocket and I must have leaned the wrong way. I went to pull it out of my pocket and when I
did it was cracked from one end to the other.
Fortunately my tech guy was on hand (who doesn’t love having
a tech guy?!) and he took it with him, leaving me phoneless. I wasn’t sure how
I would feel about that. I thought maybe
I would love it. Maybe I would hate it.
I decided I needed about 24 hours to figure it out.
24 hours later and the verdict is in. I love it! Now, I use my phone a significant
amount. I jokingly refer to boy Surri as
my wife/secretary. He (I have an
Australian accented male voice) wakes me up.
He gives instructions. He reminds
me of what I need to do. He tells me
when to eat. I ask boy Surri questions and he always has a great answer. He’s
never snide, never sarcastic. He is always
about the business, something I appreciate.
But…
My phone is always ringing/binging/alarming/nagging me. And when it’s not getting my attention I’m
checking it for some random information. Now the air around me is silent. But it’s not. Life has a cadence of it’s own that I had
forgotten about in the noise of boy Suri.
It’s a softer twang but soothing none-the-less.
I think often about all of the information that I’m missing
with boy Suri gone. And I smile because
life still goes on, even without me digitally plugged into it. But it’s even more than that.
I have spent so much time tied to a 2 inch by
4 inch product that I have forgotten to look up. Life is interesting up. I also find that I
leave work at work. I’m not checking my
emails or answering texts or calling parents, lawyers, or service
providers. I feel lighter. I like this no phone thing.
I have a slight concern that the Mayors office will call and
I won’t be able to respond in a timely fashion (my life plays like a movie-
don’t ask). I have a slight concern that the people that text me daily or
weekly will wonder if anything is wrong.
But honestly they know where I live. They have a loose understanding of
my schedule. If something is important someone
will find me. I understand, in the space
of a day, why people pre-cell phone thought life was less stressful. It is. You are limited to what is directly in
front of you as opposed to having the cosmos at your fingertips. As a result you interact with life much more
intimately.
I have a slight concern that maybe there will be an
emergency- well not really. Emergencies
will happen whether I have a cellphone or not.
And if I get into an emergent situation I’m sure I can figure it
out. People did for centuries. And if I’m
being really honest, it’s not like I don’t have the Bat phone…
Have I mentioned that I really like this no phone thing? So
I told my tech guy to take his time on the replacement. I am more than willing to wait this one out. Life
is calling and I’m interested in listening.
Happy looking up.
-Dewb
No comments:
Post a Comment