This week has been one of frustration on a technology level. Maybe it is because I have been fighting a yucky head cold, or maybe it is karma, or maybe it is just my crummy luck. But whatever the case might be, it has been a really disturbing week in retrospect. Why? Because I was shown just how important technology is to my life; and how difficult it is to function without it.
No Cell Phone
Monday was a challenging day. It began with waking up to a sore throat. I didn't feel like getting up, but I had no other choice. Then Evie lost her tooth. Well, more accurately, I pulled out a loose tooth from Evie's mouth. Therefore, there was an ample amount of blood. Evie also shed more tears than I expected. She is dramatic, you know. Then, I made sure Zoe had her morning supplements and went downstairs to feed the animals. Zoe followed along because she wanted to feed the fish. However, when she opened the top of a new fish food it fell all over the couch and the basement floor. She began to cry. She felt terrible that she made such a big mess. I took a few minutes to calm her down and reassure her it was an accident, then I tackled the mess. For most households this mess would not be a big deal, but I had to clean up the fish flakes because our cat, Milo, would spend the rest of the day licking up whatever he could. In fact, I am certain that if given the opportunity Milo would eat himself to death.
I had just enough time to grab a banana, and out the door Zoe and I went to her orthodontist appointment. Zoe is in the preparatory stages to get an expander. Currently tiny blue rubber bands get shoved between her back teeth "spreading" the teeth to allow her molars to come in successfully. Anyway, we were late to the appointment, but Zoe made it to school without missing anything.
The day continued on like this, and my body became sicker and sicker. After dinner, Jim took Zoe to her first therapy appointment (which by the way went amazingly well), and I cleaned up the house, bathed Evie, fed the animals, washed dishes, and well, you get the picture. I plugged my phone in, and as I was about to set it down in the holder, it slipped from my hands. Yes, I have a case. Yes, it was not that far from the ground. But the screen cracked, and well, it was toast.
I called the insurance company for the phone, and they sent me another phone out the following day: Tuesday.
So all of Tuesday I did not have a working phone, and honestly it felt so weird. I would awkwardly look at the screen, as if thinking something miraculous had changed. I don't own a watch, so I felt completely isolated in knowing what time it was. I also freaked out when I had to run a few errands with Evie. What if I get stranded? What if my car breaks down? What if Zoe is sick and the school tries to call me and I am unreachable?! ARGH!
A new phone came on Tuesday, as expected. However, it was broken and would not keep a charge. So on Wednesday (a half day for the ladybugs and me) I spent time making phone calls 1) to get a different phone sent to me, 2) another to deal with a bill that was not paid, and 3) yet another because our cable company had two different amounts owed on our bill appearing online. Two hours later I began to realize how dependent I am on technology. But the worst was yet to come.
No Computer Too
Yesterday I did not have a phone (I was waiting for the 2nd "new" phone to arrive) and I did not have a computer. Why? Because I stupidly opened an email from my father and clicked on the link he said I would enjoy reading. Why is this so bad? Because that stupid link was a way to infect my lovely laptop - my only means of connecting with the outside world. I had to shut the computer down. This meant I was without everything. No texting. No Facebook. No reading Blogs! I felt even more isolated that before. Why is that?
Fortunately after Jim ran the important programs to catch the issues (I am very lucky he is a tech guy), the laptop was clean and ready to use again. I also talked to my father who only found one file affected by the email. So in this case, we were both very lucky.
But the reality is: it was not that long ago that I didn't have a smart phone. In fact, it has only been that last 4 years that I have had a phone with the ability to read emails and text others. For years I drove to stores without a phone. For years I was unavailable when people tried to reach me. FOR YEARS! And really, is it that imperative to know what my friends are doing during the day? Really? But I could not help wondering what my friends were thankful for (30 Days of Thankfulness), or how their days were shaping up. And I realized that I am WAY too dependent on technology. If the Zombie Apocalypse happens and we lose all forms of electricity, I will be forced to wonder who has been bit, who has already turned and what others are doing to survive.
In Conclusion
I do feel that I have a balance of technology in my life. I do not bring my smart phone everywhere I go, and I have been known to go hours without responding to a text from a friend. But I still place a high importance on its value. I do value knowing how my friends are doing. I do value having the security that if something happened to my children at school I am always reachable. And I do value being able to send cute messages and emoticons to my husband throughout the work day.
But not having a phone nor computer really made me rethink where we are as a society and where we are going. I thought it was quite apropos for The New Normal (my new favorite sitcom this season - quite possibly because they made reference to Grey Gardens in the second episode) to air an episode on Tuesday about our societies obsession regarding technology, especially with social networking. I think many people need to take a step back and determine how important their phones/computer/pads/etc are to them.
I know that my ladybugs will never know what it is like to dial a rotary phone, or have the phone ring more than 10 times before a voicemail picks up, or use a card catalog to look up information. But I do hope my girls understand the value of technology and not let it lead their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment