It was inevitable. No matter how well products manufactured 30 or 40 years ago were made, sooner or later, they’re going to bite the dust.
So I bid a very fond farewell to my longtime, faithful AT&T cordless phone. It has seen me through more life events than I care to relate. And yes, of course it looks like an “old lady” phone, but if you can believe it, the battery in the handset has only needed to be replaced once in the approximately 35 years I’ve had it. You just don’t throw a phone like that in the trash, and that’s why I’ve kept it, homely as it might be, for all these years.
This phone and another upstairs which is plugged directly into the wall have been my landline, something I have known my entire life. When power went out in Superstorm Sandy, I still had phone service because the upstairs phone didn’t require electricity to run. It was a great security blanket, despite my having a little flip phone on a second line forever. But lately, the cordless has occasionally been staticky, dropped a call here and there, and the antenna is holding on by a thread. Not to mention the ridiculous price I was paying my carrier for the privilege of having a landline.
Time to join the 21st Century, like it or not. I am changing carriers and saving an amazing amount of money each year going forward — transferring my existing flip phone to a new model as my backup (in case the other needs to go to Apple for some reason), switching the landline to an iPhone; and going completely wireless. (Let me just say here … oy.)
Kicking and screaming? Not so much as fretting and panicking, and I’m not enjoying it at all. Since I am Mac based, I assumed this would be a breeze, but it’s not just the fact that I have to learn two new phones in a very short period of time. It’s that I’m giving up the security I’ve known all my life with a landline. I honestly never thought this would affect me the way it has. I’m almost embarrassed because this kind of stuff doesn’t usually rattle me. (And yes, that we are locked down in a global pandemic may be in play, too.)
Everyone assures me that I’ll have this all down in no time (probably true); that many, many people are completely wireless nowadays (I’m aware); and that once I am used to it, I’ll love it (undoubtedly true). But logic is rarely the best diffuser of anxiety.
In my experience, the only way to deal with this is to keep on moving through it, fretting and all, because curling up in a ball or going back to how it’s been are not options. I comfort myself each morning during periods of change by reading a particular section of this book by Deepak Chopra in the “Law of Least Effort” chapter, which reminds us that every tormentor or tyrant, each upsetting situation, is in our lives at this moment because it’s exactly what we need to evolve, and is the opportunity to create something new and beautiful. I do believe that’s true, and it’s what I’m holding on to.
So if I accidentally disconnect your call or inadvertently send you a partial text, please bear with me; I’m overcoming the loss of a security blanket. And I promise I’ll never be one of those people in the supermarket who cannot stop gabbing on their phone for two seconds. I’ll still be me, just looking a whole lot more 21st Century.
Still A Dreamer 
Life is indeed changing for all of us, Jeanne. Best wishes going forward into the future! 🙂
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It sure is, Lavinia, and in many good ways, too. It’s just an adjustment. Hope the current crisis is finding you well, safe, and balanced.
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Definitely not bored. 🙂
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Me, neither!! 🙂
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Jeanne, enjoy your new phones. Funny though … no way will they last as long as your old AT&T.
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Thanks, I know I will, regardless of any current hesitation. And you’re not kidding about how long they’ll last. There’ll probably be another OS at the end of the year, and I’ll need a new phone in 4 or 5. And so goes digital life, eh?
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I don’t blame you at all Jeanne. We still have a landline and if I have to make important calls I always still prefer to use that rather than a mobile – even though it’s cordless. Strange the tricks our mind plays. I do sometimes think it would have been useful to keep a wired handset in case of Armageddon, but then it probably wouldn’t be much use then 🙂
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It has a lot to do with what we’ve known all our lives, I think. However, if it’s any encouragement, now that I’m learning the iPhone? It is totally amazing, and I’m pretty sure you’d pick it all up quickly. First, I’m mastering making calls and texting on it, but one of the reasons I bought a newer version – XR – is because of the camera, and THAT, Andrea, I know you would love.
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I’ve got an iPhone – I caved in and got a newish version recently – not the latest one but one of the modern ones – but we’ve still got the landline 🙂
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Aaah … just not ready to cut the cord! (literally) LOL
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I can certainly relate, Jeanne! I started using an android phone about 5 years ago when I moved. I’m just now getting more comfortable with short texts and taking photos:)
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I am so comforted to know that this is not just me! Thanks for sharing. We will forge on!! 😀
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Oh Jeanne. I understand this SO much. Although we are now wireless, cordless, and landline-free, it took a very long time to make the switch. I fretted over the decision for a couple of years. So, I get this! Now, it’s just second nature. And although I’m wireless, cordless, and landline-free, I’ve never felt more tethered! Ha! Go figure. All that to say change is hard:)
That book, 7SLS, is one of my all-time favorite go-tos. For a slim edition, it packs a punch. There’s so much wisdom in each short chapter. I don’t think there’s a page in my copy without some underlining and asterisks. It is my favorite of the Chopra books I’ve read. I think our libraries may be similar:)
Great post on impermanence and our resistance (reluctance?) to change, even the small things.
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I’m so glad others are saying this about going completely wireless. I honestly thought it had to be me being a scared-y cat. Yes, we are now tethered more than ever because wherever we go, now it goes, too!
7SLS – really one of the best, and like you say – a lot of punch in a small space. (A master feat of editing, too!) It is all but attached to my journal and comes with me each morning in the event that I need some extra wisdom or inspiration. We would indeed love each other’s libraries. I have one bookcase I call my metaphysical bookcase, as that’s all that’s in it. And another 10 or 11 here in my office to dip in and out of when I’m in the mood. Sometimes they rotate. Ahhh … books are good!
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Nice blog
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Thanks, Saania. I appreciate it. 🙂
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Oh, dear Jeanne. We do have to change, but I’m still figuring out how to get new posts from the bloggers I follow. Something changed about 5 months ago, and I am still figuring that out! we also only gave up our old phone a few years ago, so you are in bad company, gurrrlll!
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We were just not raised in the digital world that young people totally take for granted, but huzzah! for us that we do our best to embrace it and grow with it in whatever time we do.
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