God I’m late to the party!
Promptly, at the crack of eleven, on January second, I re-emerged back into popular culture. So did my husband. We both got iPhone 6’s (he got the big one).
AND we changed our carrier.
We hadn’t updated our phones in years.
We both had the 4.
Not the 4S.
The 4.
Our phones were glitchy as hell, we were both out of storage space, and Siri was just an Urban Myth.
Why would this be of any interest to you?
Here’s why:
We were both suffering – unnecessarily – and we didn’t even realize how much…until it was over.
Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought it might.
I was positively giddy, showing my friend my new FUNCTIONING phone on Sunday, explaining that I now had service inside my house. We have complained endlessly, shaken our fists to the AT&T Gods and generally become accustomed to the fact that our home is in a “dead zone”.
“We had perfect reception, with FaceTime and everything when I was in the deserts of Namibia!” My husband would yell over our landline at the representative on the other end. They assured us they were working on new towers and that things would get better – but they never did.
I know we all have hugely unrealistic expectations of our cell phones these days. We want them to read our minds, drive our cars and find us the perfect mate.
I just wanted to make or receive a call AND I wanted a text to come through at the appropriate time. We have both missed texts to each other, because one of us was at the house. Big stuff. Important stuff. The stuff that fights are made of.
“I’m stuck in traffic, I can’t pick you up, so I’ll meet you there” has chimed through at 8:30 the NEXT MORNING; after a night of hard feelings.
Why, do you ask, did we wait so long?
We were accustomed to the pain and it seemed like a hassle to change.
Right? Simple as that.
It did take over an hour because of the carrier switch (and the fact that my husband doesn’t know ANY of his passwords), but the change in the quality of our life has been exponential.
I’m not kidding.
We had “put up” with such inferior devices, and service, that we didn’t comprehend how much lost time and stress that was costing us.
We had settled for so much less than what was available, just on the other side of the minimum hassle. We felt like idiots.
Struggling, out of touch, Siri-free, idiots.
As I waxed poetic about the upgrade in my quality of life to a friend on Sunday, telling her that I was convinced that this was the precursor to a 2015 free of “settling” and “putting up with”, she just nodded, looking past me, her eyes filled with understanding.
“I have a relationship that sounds a lot like your old phone. I get it, I do. I need to make some changes. I think 2015 can be that kind of year for me too.”
I’m feeling so invigorated, I have all this extra time on my hands from the lack of “can you hear me now?” in my life, that I want to examine other areas where the fear of making a change has left me in a less than desirable situation.
I’m going to get rid of all things Atik (my old corporation). This year.
What are the areas in your life that you’re “putting up with?” Where are you settling because changing things seems like a hassle?
Tell me. I can hear you now!
Xox
That’s me setting up my new phone!
