Removing the "Smart" From My Life

Distractions. Everyone has them. Whether it be at work, in the home, while driving....the list goes on and on. My biggest? My smartphone. I have battled myself in the past year with how much time I spend with my phone; either in my hand or at an arm's reach (unless it is charging). From the Droid to the iPhone--I love them both. Living thousands of miles away from my family and beloved friends, it's been fantastic for keeping in contact, especially for social media! Many days as a stay-at-home-Mom, it's my only adult interaction in the town that we live in. Needless to say, I think I have had an addiction to my iPhone. That is until last Saturday...

I was cleaning out my car after the LA Tech Spring Game. My sweet husband was relaxing on the couch, watching The Masters on TV and "watching" Maggie for a few minutes. Unfortunately when I walked back into our home, I found both husband and toddler in the half bathroom with dripping iPhone in hand. The iPhone had met its match--Mary Margaret Koonz. 

I will admit there have been plenty of times she leaves a room and I have to chase her down; or turned my back for a second and she's found trouble something interesting to investigate. I will take full responsibility for leaving my phone on the coffee table. I will accept the fact that I declined insurance not even two months ago when we purchased my phone. My mistakes... But you can only imagine the look on my face (and the feeling in my gut) when I saw Jeff, waterlogged phone in hand. Knowing that in that moment Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera, amongst other renowned golfers, held the attention of Mr. Jeffrey... Nearly four days later, I can honestly say I have forgiven almost forgiven him. ;) 

After 48hrs in rice, Jeff took it to the Verizon store. No help and no luck on his part. Being the SF (selectively frugal) person that I am, I absolutely REFUSED to spend hundreds of dollar to purchase a new, or even slightly used iPhone. We have a working phone that is in near-mint condition that I can use. It is not an iPhone. It is not a Droid. It is nothing like a Smartphone...but at least it's not a flip phone?! I have found a silver-lining in all of this mess. This will be GREAT for me (I think...)!

I'm unplugging and removing the "smart" phone from my life. Realizing I often post to keep in contact with my family and friends who live afar; I need to make more of an effort to stay directly in-touch with those who I love most to ensure that years down the line, we don't just have an "online" relationship. MOST importantly through all of this, I will be spending less time looking down at the phone and more time interacting with my daughter. I know the moments will become a fleeting memory all too soon.When I look back on this time, I want to know I did the best I could do with the time God has given me with our daughter. I'm hoping this will force me to take more pictures/videos with our cameras. I have set limits to only be on the computer or iPad if necessary when she's awake.

"Oops!"  The Partners in Crime...

Will I miss my phone? Most likely. Would I switch back if by chance my iPhone works tomorrow? Probably. Until then, I am going to continue to disconnect from the online world and reconnect more with the world around me, especially those who I love most.