Susan Ivory, much to her husband’s pleasure, is seduced by technology.
The other night, my husband Shaun watched as I finished up the chapter I was reading on my phone. His bemused look switched to a full-fledged grin as I did a final check on my email, scanned the next day’s schedule and weather, and then told my phone what time I wanted it to gently sing me awake. Shaun beamed as he told me how happy he was that I had finally fallen in love with a cell phone.
It wasn’t always like this. I have to admit that I have done my fair share of kicking and screaming in resistance to all of the technological advances that have been made in the last couple of decades. In fact, if it were entirely up to me, the world would still be communicating by tin cans and string or possibly Pony Express. I have to reluctantly admit that it’s a good thing they didn’t put me in charge.
When I first met my husband, his most treasured possession was his fully programmable, luminous-faced, water-resistant-to-one-hundred-meters Dive Watch. It didn’t really matter to him that he had never been Scuba diving, let alone barely dipped his toes in the Pacific Ocean. What he loved, was that aside of his fancy calculator, it was the most high-tech device he could find.
When the first barely affordable cell phones came out, he simply had to have one. My new husband, who viewed me as an extension of himself, insisted that I had to have one as well. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this new-fangled gadget that had been thrust upon me. So I dumped it into my oversized bag and lugged it around with me, hoping desperately that I could figure out how to answer it if it dared to ring.
As the years passed, cell phones grew smaller and even more complicated. I had just finally mastered talking on the phone when they started to add new features like cameras…and something called “text.” My husband and young daughters immediately embraced the concept of texting and kept sending me messages. I would marvel at how quickly they could type out full sentences without even looking, while I would painfully stare at the numbered key pad, searching for the corresponding letters to tap out. I learned to abbreviate the messages I wanted to send. I would type one word queries or commands such as “where”, “come” or “when” relying on them to figure out what I was talking about. Eventually, little sliding keyboards were invented and I could finally find all the letters. Texting became more and more part of my everyday life.
Nowadays, I can’t imagine life without my trusty phone. I have it with me constantly. I carry on multiple text conversations with friends, pause to read books or play games, take pictures, keep a journal, my shopping list and anything else I need to keep track of. Sometimes, I even make phone calls.
While I doubt that I will ever become a complete technophile, I’m content with the places technology has taken us. I’m even just a tiny bit anxious to see what comes next. Just don’t tell my husband…I don’t think he could handle the excitement
Photo Credit
Microsoft Office Clip Art Collection
Relating everyday occurrences in a humorous way is a rare gift. You have that gift. Thanks.
I remember when I had a “portable” phone that was in a small suitcase!
I remember seeing those…I never wanted one though! It’s scary how quickly phones have shrunk and become such an part of our (my) everyday life now.