Truly Hands Free!

I am proud to say that it has officially been three years since I shut off and disconnected my smart phone. Sometimes, I feel like we are the only family in the world without one. You can read about my original reasons to give it up, and how I made out my first year. This year, I find smart phones just taking over more and more of life. Last year, I wrote about feeling left out. People would gasp and say, “I can’t live without it!” This year, I find things a little different. People are still shocked I choose to not have one, but they now respond almost defeated, “I wish I could live without it”. It’s an interesting shift. They sure look hard to live without. There is an app for everything. I have an iPad, and have access to many of the apps that are available for smartphones (I’m not living in the stone-age!) I have to admit, I am a bit addicted to my iPad. It is not mobile, so I need to be in the house to be connected; however, I find it a constant reminder that it is a good thing I don’t have a phone. I know it would become even more of an addiction. I do think texting would be nice to have, I know I miss a lot of get-togethers because I am not on the “text list”. If it’s important, people call our old fashioned land line. I think of how much money we have saved now not having a cell phone (the tally is $3600) and I am amazed. I know the prices, plans and phones keep dropping, but I still like being not so “connected”. It’s nice to remain present in the moment and enjoying the company of who I am with without worrying about picking up a call, answering an email or responding to a text. Does this mean I’ll never get one? No. My situation is simple now, I work from home and don’t travel much. I am sure if this changed, I’d feel compelled to be a bit more connected. But until then, I remain hands free!

Do you have a cell phone? Would you give it up?