Left behind

Today was a day like any other. Well, almost. Today I forgot to take my cell phone with me when I left the house to go to work. (Does it make me sound old if I say 'cell phone'? Should it just be 'phone' or 'cell'?) Anyway, there I was winging it along the highway on my way to work.

"Crap", I thought. How am I going to call My Beloved on my way if I don't have it? What happens if I get in a wreck? What happens if I get a flat tire? What happens if someone texts me on my way in? What happens if someone calls and can't get hold of me?

You know what? None of that mattered. I was free! I was liberated from the cell; liberated from the constant contact the world now expects from everyone. If it were within the realm of possibility, I would almost certainly give it up. I do however, need it for work. That is the drawback. Other than that, I didn't need it. No one called me at 6:15 in the morning. I didn't get in a wreck. I didn't have a flat and I'm certain My Beloved wasn't up to answering the phone that early in the morning anyway. Calls very early or very late usually mean bad things have happened.

You know what? It felt good! We have turned our lives into one, giant connected mess. What happened fifty years ago when someone had a flat tire? The got out of their car and fixed it. They didn't feel the need to call or text everyone they knew to let them know what happened. So you had a flat? Who cares? It wasn't a crying spectacle the whole world needed to see or hear about. Needed to call me? My work has a phone. Text me? See previous sentence.

The world doesn't need all the drama and hysterics many use their cells for. I for one, was glad to have left it behind for a day. We'll see what tomorrow brings.