Cell Phone Ramblings

It's Memorial Day-we have had a nice, relaxing 3 day weekend...and I feel like rambling.

So, I'm thinking about cell phones.  A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I hadn't used one in about 10 months.  Seriously.  Not once.  The closest thing I have is my I-pod, I can check e-mail/facebook in a place that is Wi-fi enabled (try finding that in Turkey).  The big surprise?  I don't miss it a bit.

I haven't ever really been a technology junkie.  I don't need or even want the latest, greatest computer, TV, or phone, or camera.  Even back in the States, my cell phone was bare-bones, no frills.  And that was fine with me.  I will confess that I was never without it.  I talked to multiple people many times a day.  If you would have asked me at the time, I would have definitely called it a necessity.  The first thing we bought for our move to Texas and the last thing that we canceled when we left was our cell phone plan.

Being in Turkey, I have gotten some fresh perspective on a lot of things.  Certain items are so readily available and commonplace back home that we never even have to think of not having them.  But, believe it or not, most of us can recall a time when we didn't own a cell phone.  And then, we had "car phones"-remember those dinosaurs that flipped open, were stored in a bag, and weighed about 10 pounds?  We kept them in our car, and only used them in case of emergency.  And now, most of us think we would be totally lost without a phone attached to our person at all times.  For some of us, this would include not just a phone-but e-mail, internet, and facebook access 24/7.

If you stop to think about it, it really is silly.  Do we really need to update our status on facebook that often?  Won't most e-mails wait until we can get to our computers?  And 95% of our cell phone conversations really aren't that important-just nice chats to help pass the time while we are in the car.  Yet, we have convinced ourselves that all of these things are a necessity, not a luxury.

I know when I return home, I will get another cell phone.  And I will probably be told by some slick salesman that I NEED one with all the bells and whistles.  It will be fun to have it again-and I am sure once I am home for awhile, I will absolutely be glued to the cell again.  But for now, I am enjoying a simpler, less accessible lifestyle.  One I will surely miss.


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