My phone broke.
No, not the screen.
The performance slowed down, the screen froze regularly, the phone became unresponsive and it kept restarting.
So being a bit techy, I tried to figure out the cause.
Was it a rogue app? The recent software update? Low battery voltage?
Anyway…
I cleared the cache partition… stopped a few apps… changed the battery… plugged in the charger… put it into safe mode…
But even then, it still froze and restarted.
Oh dear!
In the end, I resorted to the time-consuming factory reset and restore.
“Restoring app 1 of 166…”
Well, this unexpected task had robbed me of a planned gym visit. But I was determined not to waste time while it went through the long drawn-out processes.
So off I trotted on a 45-minute walk.
When you’re out walking, do you like to listen to an audio book or a podcast?
Me too.
So this was the first reminder of how important my phone is to me. There was nothing to plug any earphones into.
But my mind was racing…
“What if someone tries to call me?
“What if I get a text message?
“Or a WhatsApp message?
“Or even more importantly, what if someone tags me on Facebook?”
Anyway, despite the withdrawal symptoms, off I trotted, getting a good pace up the steep hill, along the tree lined street, past the fields full of bluebells, smiling at the occasional person who passed by and exchanging a pleasant “hello” or “good afternoon”.
I was enjoying a pleasant wonder in the warm Spring afternoon, breathing in the fresh air.
But after a while, something occurred to me: I wasn’t actually missing my phone.
In fact, I felt sort of free.
No one could disturb me. No one could interrupt me.
I was able to give some time to thinking. Some praying. Some planning.
It was quite refreshing.
And my mind went back to those pre mobile phone days.
If you weren’t at home or in the office… hard lines! The caller simply would have to ring you back later.
What a freedom
Eventually, I arrived home and found the restoration from backup was nearly complete. There was still a lot to do in order to get the phone back to normal, so I set to work.
But worse was to follow…
Within a few days, the phone had completely failed.
Disaster?
I’m in two minds about that.
Because a day without a phone had proved to be a wonderful de-stressing experience.
Perhaps I should market the idea.
What about you? Has your phone been out of action and you’ve felt completely lost? Or was it a releasing experience? Please share your experience in the comments box and let’s keep the conversation going.
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