No Phone (Days, Not Moments)

Are you dependent on your phone? Is a day without it a terrible inconvenience? Most people rely on their phones for just about everything from video conferencing to texting to learning languages, to watching movies, talking to colleagues, family, and friends, and so much more. It's amazing just how much we rely on our phones, but imagine a day, a week, or even a month without your android or I-Phone!

I've never had any problems with a mobile phone before until I got my Google Pixel 4a last year. I got it for a good price at Best Buy and I liked it immediately but literally the day after I bought it, the phone fell down. Fortunately, it didn't get damaged that time but one year later, I just kept dropping it. First there were cracks, than more cracks, and last week I was facing anxiety and as I rushed around during my lunch break at work, somehow my phone fell down again and that was it. All of a sudden the screen started turning green and then the entire phone shut down. This was the end, my phone had enough and it just basically died.

It's almost a week now since this happened and I'm still without a phone. I thought it would be torture to be without a phone but to my surprise I'm more relaxed without the phone. As much as we love our Androids or I-Phones they can sometimes be a distraction because we revolve so much of our life around them. Just look around and you'll see how many people have their noses in their phones whether they're playing a video game, watching a movie, or texting their friend. 

I've ordered a new phone, it will take several days before it's delivered, yes AMAZON is backed up with orders since the pandemic. Somehow being without a phone has helped me pay more attention to what's around me rather than constantly looking at my phone. So...sometimes being away from something like a phone for days, not moments can be challenging but to every advantage there's a disadvantage and to every disadvantage there's an advantage.

People have been so kind in letting me use their phone for urgent calls and thankfully at work I can use the office phone. I hope none of you break or lose a phone and if you do just remember sometimes being away from a piece of technology for a short time might not be as bad as it seems.

 

Moments of Caring, "Honoring Susan"

SUSAN is partially deaf, she's been that way since birth but that hasn't stopped her from living a fulfilling life. Susan has been an accomplished accountant for 30 years, is a proud owner of two homes, she has a wonderful man in her life, and an adorable cat and dog. Susan is my co-worker and although we've been on friendly terms I never really knew much about her outside of work except that she's from one of my favorite places in the U.S.A. (Los Angeles) is a great baker, and owns a cat named "PIZZA."

This past Monday I was supervising at work and didn't realize there was major rainfall outdoors. Susan knew I often take the bus and said to me as we headed towards the front doors, "Don't take the bus today, I'll give you a ride home." She went to the parking lot to get her car and picked me up at the front door. It was so thoughtful of her to do this but her kindness didn't stop there. Susan invited me to her house to meet her cat and dog. Compared to my humble 340 square foot condo, Susan's place was a dream come true. Her kitchen was huge, as was her backyard. I got to meet her cat "Pizza" and her dog "Scruffy" and they were both so sweet. "How about something to drink?" asked Susan. "No thank you," I replied.  I had a wonderful 45 minutes at Susan's. I learned about many of Susan's talents too. Susan knits blankets, designs clothes, cooks exotic dishes, and can put her own flooring in her house without any help. I was impressed.

Susan later took me to the supermarket where I had to pick up an item and even came up to my condo to help me fix my combination lock on my door. The following day she was already clocked out but insisted on helping me out with something since she saw that I was alone with a pile of work. She even gave me some French crepes as a snack. Things have been pretty rocky in my life lately so Susan's caring soul is much appreciated. I hope to someday reciprocate and do something kind for Susan very soon.

Sometimes when we think we're all alone and defeated, a thoughtful human enters our life at the precise moment and gives us hope again. For me SUSAN was that person and I am honoring SUSAN today in this post called "Moments of Caring, Honoring Susan."