The Longest 3 Hours of My Life

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 1:31pm.

It was a typical day, until my life came to a screeching halt….well not exactly, but it sure seemed that way at the time.

I was sitting at my kitchen counter working on my laptop while simultaneously Googling something on my phone, when all of a sudden, my phone froze. Figuring it would reset on its own, I plugged it into a charging port and went back to work on my laptop.

Around 30 minutes later, I looked at my phone, and it was exactly how I left it: a black screen with white spinney wheel.

I attempted to power down, but the phone was completely locked.

Thank the good Lord above that my daughter was home so I could use her phone to call our provider.  After 2 hours (yes, you heard me TWO-HOURS!) on a call with tech support, I was still staring at the same black screen and white spinny wheel. 

In a state of desperation, I told Logan to grab her stuff, and we hopped in the car to head to my technology savior on earth, Blake Lertzman, owner of dtown tech to see if he could work some magic.

It was during the 20-minute car ride to Blake, where I began to feel the impact of what I have diagnosed as “DEVICE DEPENDENCE.”

“How am I going to set my alarm?”

“I don’t know anyone’s phone number.”

“I have no idea of what time it is.”

“I hope no one is texting me and waiting for a response.”

“I really wish I could listen to a podcast right now.”

As my mind continued to spiral, I instantly was able to articulate why I felt so lost, and can sum it up in one word:

CONNECTION.

CONNECTION to family & friends.

CONNECTION to colleagues & clients.

CONNECTION to my to-do list.

CONNECTION to information.

People, I am here to tell you that I lived more than 40 years without a smartphone, and within the span of 3-hours, I couldn’t imagine how I was going to get through the next 24 hours without one.

That, my friends, is a scary, and undeniable truth.

I am not the only one who has felt completely cut off from the outside world when I don’t have access to my phone, which is why I am here to say that device dependence is a real thing.

As someone who can barely remember a world without 24/7 connection, imagine what it’s like for our children who never have. 

Although I don’t condone having your head in the phone at the dinner table, I am trying to have a little more grace with others because it is OK to feel the vulnerability that comes with the loss of connection.

I’m sure you’re at the edge of your seat waiting to see how this story unfolds, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.

Fortunately, in about 30 seconds, Blake had my phone working (now you know why I refer to him as my tech savior) and all was right with the world once again.