November 19, 2022

I felt a nagging doubt in the pit of my stomach. Where was it? I couldn’t do without it, could I? I felt a sense of withdrawal. A sense of loss grabbed me and I twitched, thinking about how I could go without for the next fourty-eight hours. 

I forgot my phone at home.

We have become so addicted to the devices that never leave our sides. But there I was half an hour from my home in heavy traffic and the realization became clear. I’d left my phone behind.

And I was headed away from it. 

I was headed for our mountain home. Phone-less. But there was no way we were going back for it now. We were at the mall and my daughter was already inside. I needed to find her and tell her.

What did we do before those infernal devices?

I went into the mall and looked at the map, she said she was going to Sophora and American Eagle. But on the map, American Eagle wasn’t where I thought it was. A tiny sense of panic crept over me. I knew it would be fine, yet there I was and it felt like a part of me was missing. I stopped at the Virgin Cell phone kiosk and asked to borrow the phone. Of course, my daughter didn’t answer on the first try, nor on the second. No one answers the phone unless they know the number… I sighed and tried again. This time she picked up the phone and a skeptical voice was on the other side. 

“Hello?” Marijke answered. 

“Hi honey it’s dad, I left my phone at home, where are you?”

“I thought this was spam… I’m in Sophora” she answered.

“On my way,” I hung up, thanked the kids at the kiosk for using the phone, and went to find my daughter.

What did we do before the cell phone?

In a way life was simpler then, we just planned things differently we planned on meeting places, and we organized our lives. Now we are far too dependent on a pocket-sized device that has the world’s knowledge inside of it. 

It has us in its grasp.

But for one weekend I will be released from the addiction to my phone. I will be free.

I will be lost…

I think it will do me some good not to have my device at my side. It will be a good thing…

Now to go get my forgot pass from the ticket office.

One day I will remember everything…

One day…