Several months ago I lost my mobile phone and commented in a blog how much I enjoyed the freedom ( see Join the club). In the mobile-free months since its loss, there has been little change in my existence or in interactions with others. There have been small disadvantages such as not being able to respond to banks with their code numbers when paying out amounts of money, but all in all I have not been inconvenienced. I have friends who use their phones to store all kinds of information and I mocked them about the risk of losing them and how much they would suffer.
It serves me right for making fun of others. When clearing the rubbish out of my car I found my phone had slipped down next to the driver’s seat! Yes, I know, I didn’t look very hard when I lost it. But anyway, here it is glaring at me. Now what do I do? I guarantee that when I tell others that I am now back on line, they will text me. Not ring on my home phone, but send messages and I will be expected to read and reply to them. And there will be the old accusations: I texted/phoned you yesterday and you did not reply. What were you doing? If one owns a mobile phone one is expected, not only to carry it around with you all the time, but to answer it immediately. That is why it was such a relief when I lost it.
I wonder if there is an ‘app’ on my phone which automatically replies to all texts with: “Sorry, I don’t reply to texts. Try talking directly to me on my home phone”. I’ll try pressing all the buttons and hope something comes up. Alternatively, if the pressure to respond gets to be too great, I can always arrange to lose it again!
An old codger's comments 