I
was looking at my phone the other day. An update that I didn’t
request had shifted almost all of my default settings.
I
won’t go too deeply into the eye rolling that resulted, or mention
all that much about frustrations involved. Instead, I’m going
to move along with the idea that it reminded me that no one ever
calls.
Ok,
sure, that’s not true. My phone does ring on occasion. But in
all honesty, if we removed any phone calls from sources that I
have no interest in speaking with, I probably average about two
phone calls received per week.
(Side
note number one: When I say calls I have no interest in, that
does not include my wife, parents, sisters, and so on. I’m not
joking. I really have no desire to speak with my mortgage company
about their refinance eligibility pitch, someone that wants to
help with my expired car warranty, or my internet provider kindly
raising my awareness of the packages they can give me on streaming
television and home phone and more. Side note number two: I should
admit that two calls per week involves rounding up. But there
are weeks when I get none, and there are weeks when I get four
or five. Two seems like a safe middle ground.)
Anyway…
phone… lack of calls. And still, my phone is… imagine this, for
a moment, if you can… a phone.
Phone
works, does what I need, I’m happy. The latest and greatest iPhone,
Android supported, improved camera, better storage units simply
don’t catch my attention.
Yes,
I text with it. Yes, I do take occasional pictures. Yes, I have
a few games on it.
But
for me, it’s a communication tool that has expanded. I admit that
I’m in the age where texting is almost a necessary concept. And
sure, I use the browser to help out with information when I’m
not at home. My response to that, however, would be that I have
grown into those options and have never been enticed by them.
And in the end, as long as it’s doing what I need from it, I don’t
get all that excited about update possibilities.
Just
over ten years ago, I was walking down a hallway at work. Friend
stopped me.
Friend:
“Where the heck have you been”
Me:
“Umm, I don’t know. Home? Here?”
Friend:
“I’ve been leaving you messages. Like five of them since last
night.”
Me:
“I never got any voice mails. Did you call my house phone?”
Friend:
“No. Text messages. I left you text messages.”
Me:
“Oh, well, that explains it. I don’t text.”
Friend:
“What?”
Me:
“I can’t text. My phone doesn’t have that feature. I can make
and receive phone calls.”
Back
then, I was still using my first cell phone. It was a really basic
model flip-phone. No texts. No games. Horrendous photographs.
I’d had it for about five years at that time.
I’ve
always tried to be careful about making assumptions that anyone
automatically has the ability to handle the latest and greatest.
I know people that even today don’t have cell phones. They don’t
want them. And I respect that idea, trying to approach people
without assuming that the phone number they give me flops into
voice mail or accepts text messages.
A
few years ago, Terry and I were on a trip. When checking in to
the hotel, I asked if they happened to know any place nearby to
get a good meal. I’ll spare you the longer discussion here, but
a supervisor heard our conversation, came out to recommend a place
but couldn’t give us directions. He told us we could look it up
on our phones.
I
kind of believe that Terry and I are in the majority of people
right now. Technology is wonderful, and eventually we’ll pick
up on most of the things coming around. But we’re likely going
to be a few years behind the wave on the process. Not because
we’re digging in our heels and getting dragged along into the
future, but simply because right now it’s not solving any massive
immediate issues for us.
Sure,
it’s great to be out running errands, talk to my wife about picking
up something for dinner, and then get a phone number, look at
a menu, make reservations or find directions to that new place
we’ve heard about but never set foot in yet. It is. But it’s not
enough to get us buying the latest model of phone or add another
streaming service.
We’re
not against moving forward. We’re just moving at our own speed.