Recently I was directing an episode of ‘Glee’ and I lost my cell phone–and I didn’t have time to buy another one for three weeks. Well, the first few days I was anxious as hell, suffering delirium tremors, didn’t think I could make it through, etc. Then something kind of curious happened–I began to feel great. -Eric Stoltz
July 3, 2024. Today is the first day of a challenge I have never undertaken, and it’s not by choice. I did something really stupid yesterday: in my zeal to get some sad-looking bushes in the front yard trimmed up, I tossed the cuttings–and my phone–into a fire that was consuming an old tree stump. So, until Saturday at the earliest, I am virtually without a phone. It still works, kind of. I just can’t see half of the screen, and it’s too frustrating to try to deal with. So I’m trying not to use my phone at all.
It’s probably just as well. More and more, I have been forgetting where I take my phone or put it down. I’m also experiencing other age-related things reminding me that a milestone birthday is just around the corner. All things considered, I really didn’t expect to live past 21 much less 70, but here I am. Life is full of surprises. Like this.
In a way, I’m not surprised that I did something as dumb this. Since being here at the house, I’ve been overdoing in a myriad of ways, but they are all things I wanted to do. Wash the windows. Pressure wash the deck. Paint the bathroom. I may have been blessed with an abundance of energy, but it can be a curse sometimes. When I begin to feel overwhelmed and am tempted to complain that my plate is too full, I also have to admit that somewhere along the line, I said “yes.” Maybe this sabbatical from my phone is just what I needed.
Dave’s been awesome. I’m grateful that he didn’t give me a hard time at all, but instead started looking for a replacement right away. He asked me if I could do without a phone for a while. Well, I quit drinking almost thirteen years ago, so I’m guessing that doing without a phone will be easier. But, who knows? I guess we’ll see. Since it’s a first-time event, I’m trying to maintain a positive attitude.
Miraculously, the only damage that’s visible on my phone case is a singed corner, and the phone works in spite of the screen damage. I’m grateful for that! The problem is that I just can’t see very much, making it futile to text or, really, doing anything that requires looking at the screen. It’s very frustrating.
I’m grateful this gives me something to write about, and that we have a laptop so that I don’t have to write about this experience in longhand. If I had to, though, I would. I had many, many handwritten journals going back I-don’t-know-how-many-years in storage, and now that we have a house, the whole collection is here. Someday I’ll have to re-read what all happened years ago. The fact that I wrote about it means it must have been memorable in one way or another, at least, then.
Someone once said that ‘when phones were tied by a wire, humans were free.’ It’s true. I remember those days, when one had to actually BE by the phone to make or accept a call. Actually, the way things are in the world, maybe it’s a blessing that “the news” won’t be at my fingertips. Yet something else to be grateful for!!
That’s why I’m looking at it as an adventure. Who knows WHAT I’ll find to occupy myself instead?! If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the day I end up having all depends on my attitude, and that’s a choice I have to make for myself. So today I choose to have a great day! I’m meeting a new friend who also moved into the area recently for a late breakfast, and this afternoon I’ll get started painting the 10-foot long bookcase here in the living room. Afterwards, we’ll drive Chewy into town like we do every afternoon for a walk around the park. At least, that’s the plan. But given how yesterday went, anything is possible.
One thing’s for sure: Life is never boring. Until next time, bye for now! 😃