I just got off the phone with Virgin Mobile who I have been with for years. I cancelled my cell phone and my son’s cell phone. My husband is keeping his. Throughout the entire ordeal I was transferred about 5 times, disconnected once, and talked to multiple people. All of them were quite concerned I was doing this. I was prompted to answer the same question over and over again, “WHY”? To which I politely replied through serious annoyance and gritted teeth, “because I don’t want this many cell phones in my home”. The whole ordeal should have taken a matter of minutes; instead it was a matter of hours. Okay, one hour to be factual but it felt like time was never ending and I was in hell’s elevator on my way up out of there but some demon just doing his job (and a good one at that) pushed all 12 million buttons and the devil was beside me asking me over and over and over and over again why I was choosing to not stay on the dark side and that he could give me all the promotions I wanted. I stayed strong and I eventually got to leave the elevator.
(image from pixabay.com)
I want more time. Time to be productive. Time to be me. Time to not fall victim to the rabbit holes when I am bored. Time to get lost and have to ask for directions. To have to make plans and be hard-core about my time management like it’s 1997, not getting to text the person “I’ll be there in 15!” Time to meet my goals and succeed. Time to be bored and let my mind wander. Time to play with my dog. Time to not feel sorry for myself when I see my family on their devices, but to have it remind me to go get my goals.
Now all of the things above and more can be done WITH a cell phone, but for me, I do better without one. I have tried the Freedom App (it limits any apps and websites and for how long and when) and it’s great, but it’s just not enough for me. I want to have total freedom from such reliance on a device. I have watched documentaries on how exactly YouTube and websites work in your brain to make you stay and to have you click on that bait. Because I understand it, I seem to do better than average but it doesn’t mean I don’t still fall victim to endless videos (my weakness is animals being rescued). Now I plan to eventually get a flip phone for emergencies, to take with me when I am driving to call AMA if need be and for when I walk the dog (we live in the country and I am surrounded by farms and long dirt roads).
Not a single one of my friend’s was unsupportive. They know me. They knew me before I had a cell phone, knew it really wasn’t my thing. Just like social media. Not my thing. They know my home phone number (yes, I have a landline), they know my email and they know they can message me on Skype. I prefer Skype to Discord because it is less busy and I like the lay out better. Plus Discord is one to offer rabbit holes in my opinion. Skype also has an app for phones.
My family on the other hand is a different story. They prefer me to have a cell phone, even though they know me well enough to know that I am a simple human and prefer to not have all of the advances of technology glued to my hip, they want me to comply with today’s world. Well…. too bad is all I can say.
Any future people who I meet who don’t find me interesting enough to put in the effort of not being able to text me…..sayonara.
Any future employers who want to text and don’t hire me because they can’t… sayonara.
I am nervous. It would be incredulous to say I wasn’t. But I WILL SURVIVE!
And I will THRIVE. I am sure of it. I am willing and ready for the bumps and bruises on the way and I am also willing and ready to tell anyone who wants my husbands cell phone number to get a hold of me to fuck right off and that I don’t have a cell phone for a reason. My husband’s phone will not be my gateway drug!
Here's to being me and the beginning of my sharing's on POB - nice to meet you all in advance.