Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Let the next chapter begin....well soon...

I have had a smartphone in my hand since the early days...


Still awkward, yet very usable...this phone was never out of my reach....ever...

Then came its various replacements....



Then...

Then ultimately...


The one thing these four phones had in common?  The fact that they were always...always within reaching distance....at the farthest.

My hand would feel empty without it's fingers grasping them as I walk.  My thumb felt extremely abandoned when I had to go from the 'track-wheel' to the 'track-ball'...

I had my phone on my nightstand to sleep, woke up to it in the morning to check emails, facebook, twitter, instagram, you name it.

As soon as my butt hit some kind of resting device (regardless of my location) my hand would rise up and my eyes would meet with anticipated glory the wonderful colorful screen.

I had 24/7/365 access to my work, my world, my friends, my.....you name it.

Then it happened.  The unthinkable.  The unimaginable.  The.....ok Ill get to the point.  I realized....

I don't want to want you anymore.  I don't.  When did it happen? When did this love go wrong?  When did I stop loving you?


Fall #1

Well, first it was my job.  In August of this year I took the leap.  The jump from full-time corporate to semi-full time non-profit.

Fall #2

I realized that I do not have clients around the globe anymore.  I do not have to keep one eye on the phone (flashing red light for you Blackberry people) to see if it 'needs' me.

Fall #3

I started to realize how many conversations you DID manage to have face to face with a person was ruined because I already knew what was going on in their life....I knew their daughter just got an A on the mega report they had to turn it.  I knew she ran into a crazy dressed person at the store the day before.  I knew her blender died and she had to go buy a new one.  I knew she was having lunch with me....firstly because I was sitting across the table from her - and secondly because my iphone just buzzed to let me know we were 'checked-in' to the restaurant..together...

Fall #4

I could not name one thing that was necessary to which I used this device for....facebook....twitter....instagram...angrybirds....that crazy aligator water game?  What was I doing?

Finally.....Fall #5

Christmas...we bought an iPad...talk about redundancy!

So, it happened.  I have been talking about it for awhile and finally took the plunge yesterday.

I bought....a cell phone... GASP!!

Yup, the ordinary, no data plan necessary, just phone calls and text messages - no-email - cell phone.  I have not had one of these since - - - - 2003-4?!?

I decided that I did not want to want it anymore....

It's kind of liberating... and kind of scary.  I fight with the feeling that I am loosing a bit of my identity (as shallow as that is).  That I am about to become un-cool.  Old School....Old

My phone will be here in a few days, then I will be making the big switch.  I am both excited, and nervous.  However, one thing is clear.  The mere fact that I am having such a struggle with this - - tells me that it needs to be done.

Nothing, should have this much of a hold on me.

Here's to a new-simplified-untethered life.