Sunday, November 25
Can You Hear Me Now?
This last week my phone finally went kaput - in a most permanent way. The first couple of days I was filled with anxiety. Who might be trying to call? How can I get in touch with Allan when I need him to get milk? It was especially agonizing the first day when the phone would still ring, but none of the buttons were responsive. So-n-so is calling, but I don't know what they want and I don't have a way to call back. They're going to think I'm just rude by not returning their call! The last few days, though, I have felt strangely liberated from this particular shackle. I realize that I have been freed from other internal dialogue. Should I answer the phone during dinner? It's time to go - where is my phone?? And the rather unladylike Ugh, I really don't want to talk to this person right now. Should I punt them to voicemail or take it? This little unintentional social experiment has helped me recognize some unhealthy boundaries in my own daily life. Just don't be mad at me if I haven't returned your call this week.
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5 comments:
How funny! My phone is currently MIA and my reaction has been eerily similar... the initial anxiety followed by "hmm... it's actually kind of nice to not have to deal with anyone calling me!" It's made for a wonderfully liberated long weekend... and I'm also really excited about the free upgrade I'm about to get!!
I was considering what my life would be like - at least at home - if I went Luddite and dropped all the tech. Could I live without a cell phone?
But what about... losing the internet at home? And TV? I wonder what that would be like. I'd probably want to keep music, but I suppose even that I could do without at home. There's a good 30-day experiment for Jason.
I had a similar experience a few months back when I left my Blackberry in a rental car, never to be seen again. As I waited for the replacement, I nearly had a panic attack. Made me realize that indeed I might have a "Crackberry" after all. I am doing much better now, but don't want my phone to walk off any time soon!
Logan and I got rid of a cell phone early in our marriage and didn't sign for new ones until we moved back to Portland. And now, in our current jobs, we have felt the strong responsability to eachother and our boys to know when to turn the darn thing off. It is truly liberating when you can hold that little tether in your hand, power down, and enjoy a game or chapter of Narnia guilt free.
Every couple of weeks, I try to have a cell phone free day. Usually on my day off, I turn the phone off and try not to look at it all day. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
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