My Cell Phone Evolution

When cell phones were first released, I was not the least bit interested in having one. In fact, I actively resisted the idea. I didn't want to be at every Tom, Dick & Harry's beck and call at all hours of the day or night. I changed my mind when I got a job that required a commute of 50+ miles every day. I realized that if my car ever broke down, I'd need a cell phone. The day came when the car broke down (two blown tires and a busted wheel in one heck of a pothole), and I needed a cell phone. Fortunately, by that time I'd acquired a basic model and was able to get help.

Having taken the step of getting a basic cell phone that sent and received phone calls, I insisted for years that I didn't need a phone with any other bells and whistles. I didn't want a phone for sending and receiving emails - I had computers for that. Nor did I want a phone that told me the weather forecast, or anything else that traditional phones had never done. I wanted a phone that was just a phone.

Then, a little over a year ago, I decided I wanted to access the Internet from a cell phone. And maybe do email. I have no idea why I suddenly wanted to do those things. I just did. Unexpectedly. Without any warning. As I checked into upgrading my phone, I discovered that, by the time I paid for those features, I could upgrade to an iPhone for just a tad more than it would cost to add those features to my existing phone. So, I got an iPhone.

Ah, the iPhone. I use it to make and receive phone calls. Sometimes. More often, I use it to send text messages to family and friends. Even more often, I use it to read the news. And check the weather forecast. And upload recipes. And make shopping lists and keep my calendar and read e-books and write blog posts (like this one) and take photos and track my nutrition and exercise and follow maps and read blogs and look up information on google and wikipedia and listen to music and watch videos and use Facebook... In short, I use my cell phone to do a whole lot more than make and receive phone calls. It's probably the most indispensable tool I own. I've evolved 180 degrees from a cell phone Luddite to a cell phone junkie. My dependence on my phone has gotten so complete that I probably should classify it as an addiction. If I do that, the inevitable next step will be joining a support group: iPhones Anonymous...

I bet there's an app for that.