My phone hit the skids on Friday afternoon. It worked in the morning, but the battery needed charging. I plugged it in, but it died, refused to charge, and never revived. Can’t say I miss that particular phone because it proved a pain from purchase (and I let myself get talked out of exchanging it a couple weeks in). In fact, the phone gave me grief, refusing to turn on in the past, but tech support used some tricks to get it working again. No such luck this time.
Thankfully, my “customer since 1997” status meant the customer service rep “went to bat for me” and convinced his superiors to let me sign a new 24 month contract and get a new phone for a renewal rate, plus an activation fee. I was so relieved I wouldn’t need a go phone or no phone until my husband’s contract ran out, I thanked the rep profusely.
Of course, a new phone could take four to six days to arrive in the mail. For some reason, the local store can not simply provide me with one. I’ll never understand the way corporations work. Anyway, the wait time is problematic for me primarily because I use my phone for work. I can always borrow my husband’s, though, because who needs a cell phone while sitting in the law library studying, right?
In truth, I quickly realized that my cell phone is a sort of lifeline to the world beyond my town home. Sure, I have my desktop. A cell phone lets me just “quickly” check in, however. Cell phones have games to while away the time. It keeps the moments of waiting to do picks up after school from getting dull. It’s also a bit of an addiction that pulls me in and out of the moment at a disturbing rate.
It’s now Sunday and about 2 days in without a phone. I felt a bit naked at first, but now I feel a bit liberated. You’ll still find me popping in on the desktop fairly frequently, but it’s not the same. I finished a book and ran to the library last night 15 minutes before closing so I could have another. I actually returned home with four. Sadly, I often put books on the back burner because I’m tired and a little social media down time or silly game is easier.
Sometimes I look longingly over at my husband when he fiddles with his phone (boo hoo after 2 days, right?). Another part of me realizes, though, that I don’t “need” my cell phone to check the time or to see what Uncle Mo is having for dinner every five minutes. It’s fun to go outside with the boys, run around, and throw snowballs without once looking at facebook. It’s relaxing to pick up without the distraction of Instagram notifying me that someone has pinned a new picture of the skyline.
Don’t get me wrong. When I get my new, fancy phone, I’ll certainly use it. I adore social media, blogging, and being connected wherever. Sometimes I just want to check out and play a quick game or post a silly picture with my kids. But I don’t necessarily want my cell phone to become another appendage again, constantly in my pocket, another part of me to my toddler. There’s an amazing world around me and I don’t want to miss it because I buried my face in a screen.
Anyone else gone cell phone free, by choice or necessity? What did you notice?
you sound a bit like me giving up facebook. lol.
My phone doesn’t get service at our friends’ cabin. We spent a three day weekend there and I have to admit it was freeing to not be “checking in” all the time. I’ve also been guilty of taking the thing everywhere with me around the house (in my pocket usually), but am now making a conscious effort to put it down and leave it alone.
When Nate was about a year old we were packing to go to Atlanta for the night and he threw my phone into the toilet. I bawled, we were about to leave him overnight and even though we would have Chris’ phone, I couldn’t check in on him when I wanted. Drove me crazy and verizon overnights your phones!