Confession of a Dinosaur
About a week ago, I downgraded from a smart phone to a dumb (flip) phone, a phone that gets great reception in the mountains, and is archaic for texting. I guess I'm now officially a dinosaur who doesn't like technology.
I gave up on my smart phone because it was dying a slow death - the battery was running down too quickly, and some graphics were getting mangled. The phone sales guy suggested I keep the smart phone so that I could access the internet. No big deal to carry two phones around, right? That's why I have a big purse.
Over the course of the week, I forgot the smart phone at home, and managed to survive just fine without it. Not only did I survive, I found the quality of my life actually improved. Surprise!
I didn't realize how much my smart phone ruled my time. It was like a nagging mother-in-law. What time is it? What am I supposed to do today? What is the temperature outside? What is the weather right now? Did I miss any text messages? Did anyone call while my phone was somewhere I wasn't? Did I unmute my phone? Did I turn on Bluetooth to allow the mileage checker to verify the whole mile I drove? What does that word mean? Nag, nag, nag.
But guess what? The time of day and my calendar really aren't so important now that I'm retired. I can walk outside to find out how cold it is and if it's raining. I'm still connected to family and friends, although it helps if I take the phone with me when I leave the house (yeah, I still do that).
My new flip phone isn't as interesting (or distracting) as my old smart phone. Instead of looking down at my phone and giving myself a permanently cricked neck, I'm looking around me, and even up at beautiful Wyoming sky. Being a dinosaur isn't so bad.
