How much do we rely on our phones? Whether you love them or not, they’re ingrained in our everyday life. And, it hasn’t been that long ago, when phones had a rotary dial and hung on the wall or sat on the counter. They didn’t come everywhere with us.

Photo of rotary dial pay phones by Pavan Trikutam on Unsplash

I clearly remember when the first iPhone came out. It was in a commercial on TV and the vividness of the touch screen blew me away! I recall thinking, someday I would like one of those. Well, that day came more quickly than I expected. That was 15 generations ago.

Last night my current iPhone died. And, I don’t mean it needed to be charged. Suddenly, the screen took on this weird hue with white lines running up and down. My touch screen no longer responded to my touch. I couldn’t do a forced shutdown. Now to be completely transparent, it is an iPhone 8 which by my standards is not that old. I got it in 2018. But, by smartphone standards, I guess it’s ancient.

I like to think I’m not that tied to my phone. But, the last 24 hours has proven to me how much I rely on it.

I typically set the alarm on my phone when I have an early morning shift and have to be up at 4:30 am. Instead, I set the alarm on my old clock radio, which btw is much older than my iPhone. It’s been so long since I’ve used the alarm, I wasn’t sure it was going to work. To be on the safe side, I set Alarm 1 with the radio, and as a backup, I set Alarm 2 with the buzzer. I’m grateful I didn’t need Alarm 2!

Then, after getting to work on time, I realized I didn’t have a phone to clock in and clock out on. I was relegated to the computer screen and keyboard in the staff room which took forever to boot up because, of course, no one uses it.

After work, I started out on my usual route home, and surprise…the on-ramp to the Queensway was closed. Being an Ottawa South and West end girl, my navigation skills in the East end of the city are not great. And guess what? I didn’t have the GPS on my phone to direct me to the quickest route home. So I muddled my way around until I came to a sign pointing to the 417 West.

And, wouldn’t you know it, it was a day I needed to be home as quickly as possible. My poor pooch, Oliver, has not been himself this past week. He had gone to the vet for some blood work earlier in the week. But alas, they couldn’t complete all the tests because part of his sample clotted on the way to the lab. So, they had to draw another sample. The timeline for the appointment was tight. For me to make it home, pick him up and get to the vet, I was going to be at best about 10 minutes late. I was more like 25 minutes late by this point.

When you arrive at the vet, you have to call them from your car to let them know you’re there and then the vet comes out when she’s ready. This time, I gingerly knocked on the door and quickly explained that my phone had died, as in gone forever.

When they brought Ollie back out, he was wearing a cute yellow bandage on his right paw. I went to take a photo to send to my daughter. Ha, no phone, no camera. Plus, my daughter and I mostly communicate via Snapchat. That’s not happening right now.

All in all, not huge things, but it does make me realize how much I rely on my phone throughout the day. And, that’s not even mentioning calls, emails, texts, and social media!

Before I sign off,  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I even designed the Joy bamboo pocket pant with a pocket specifically made for a phone. I have a few left in Size 1(S) and 4(XXL) left and they’re 50% off.

Joy bamboo pocket pant in charcoal

Shop the Joy Pocket Pant at 50% off

How about you? Would you miss your phone if it was unexpectedly laid to rest? Or, would you appreciate the peace and quiet?

Until next time,

~ Colleen

I’m a recovering Chartered Accountant and Breast Cancer Champion turned Fashion Designer. My COKANNA Canadian-made bamboo clothing is all about comfort and style. Giving back to the community is important to me so I support local breast cancer organizations who treat the whole person and not just the disease.