Don't Suffer From Device Dependence

Cell phones can be necessary for work. They can also be several other adjectives such as annoying, addictive, ... o.k., those are the only two I can think of at the moment. I more or less was addicted to mine. I had been given a cell phone when I started my job in a small town because, frankly, I was on call all of the time. Of course they let me use it for personal purposes as stated by a clause in my contract. The problem with this was it didn't work. Oh it would be just fine if I was on the interstate or highway, but since all interstates are more than an hour away and I hardly leave town I wouldn't really consider it a perk.

Then came the day they asked for it back. Even though the damn thing hardly ever worked and I never really got to use it, I was sad to see it go. Rather than sign a contract to get a new cell phone, I just decided to buy a tracphone for emergencies. I did not know if I could survive without my phone. It was my little life line, my phone a friend, and safety net. I carried it every where day and night and the more I thought about it, I mostly used it as a flash light when I dropped my keys out side my door at night, or as an incredibly expensive address book. After a week and half with a tracphone, I still had a full set of minutes, that I hadn't even touched.

Sometimes we look for not so obvious devices or safety nets. Something that gives us comfort to have even if we don't ever use it. Old ladies do this at garage sales. They walk in and buy hundreds of yards of scrap material or three or four sets of dishes, all “just in case” because knowing we have them makes us feel prepared to take on any unexpected situation, whether it be company, the need to make a house warming or baby gift, or to call AAA when we get a flat. Some of these safety nets are more practical than others. I think in my case I would have been just as well off had I bought a pocket flashlight and little leather address book at the dollar store. But should we really feel lost without these little devices? Should it almost make us panic?

I was in a restaurant in Lawrence, Kansas one time, eating lunch with a friend and I saw a girl come back from the bathroom looking panicked. She slid in the booth behind me and from what I could gather she had lost her cell phone... down the toilet. She left it to be fished out by restaurant staff but was not going to take it back. I don't think her panic was so much over the fact that it would seem to be a sort of embarrassing way to loose a phone (I know, been there done that) but rather because her connection to the world was severed. It was not just a device, it had turned into her life line to the outside world. I am sure, by the conversation going on behind me, she was unable to enjoy her lunch with her friend/family member due to the incident.

I hope I never get to the point where I let little devices and safety nets get in my way of living life. It is smart to be prepared and be able to call for help when you need to, but to be able to check your email while at the zoo with your kids or while having lunch with a close friend... I don't want a device that I am that addicted too. I also don't want to be the crazy old neighbor woman who hordes random household goods and holiday decorations in the attic, garage, basement and back porch. I am sort of glad now they took my phone away. It gives me a sense of freedom. My new tracphone only gets turned on when I am walking alone at the park or have an emergency, and I don't carry it every single place I go. This whole situation has made me try to be a little less clumsy and more attentive when I come home after dark, and that can't be a bad thing.