Phone Panic

Phone Panic

I wonder if I am the only one who panics when I am without my cell phone.  There is no reason to get antsy without the phone, after all I spent over 30 years of my adult life without a cell phone.

Just yesterday as I was on my way to the gym, about half way, maybe four miles from home, I realized I forgot my cell phone.  I almost turned back to retrieve it but thought how silly, for years I lived without a cell phone and it never bothered me. 

Why do I really need it anyway?  

If someone is trying to reach me they can leave a message and I will see it when I do get home in a bit over an hour.  Years ago, if I was away, people could not even leave me a message.

I could have some kind of emergency or a car problem where I would want to call Mrs. C for help.  No problem, if that did happen, and in the last 50 years it has never happened, but if it did, I could just walk to the nearest gas station and call from there.

Wait…I don’t know Mrs. C’s cell number.  That would be unheard of in the old days, but these days all my numbers are in the phone.  I never dial them.  I’m pretty sure that if I used a gas station phone or borrowed a strangers cell, asking the phone to “Call Karen” would not work very well.

I could call my own cell that I left at home, I do know that number, but would my wife pick it up?  Half the calls we get are bogus robocalls, if we don’t know the number we usually will not pick up.  Often we even block the number.

I guess I could call 911 for help.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Ah, I left my phone at home and need to call my wife.”

“That does not sound like an emergency sir.”

“Well my car broke down and I need a lift, I am 4 miles from home.”

“Sir, that is hardly an emergency.  If you don’t hang up we can send a squad car, but I don’t think you would like where they take you.”

“Oops…sorry!”

Besides, how would 911 find my wife's cell number?

Then I thought, if I really needed the home number it is on my phone app screen in the car.  When ever I do call from the car or get a call, the number is displayed.  I checked the phone app menu to see.

Duh!  The menu gets it’s information from the Bluetooth connection to my phone which is at home and out of reach.

“Damn” I realized, “now I am forgetful and stupid!”

I continued to the gym.  I never felt comfortable until after I finished my workout and finally got home.

First thing I did was write down a few numbers on a sheet of paper, fold the paper up and put it in my billfold which I never leave without.*

Of course, when I got home Mrs. C had to ask if I got her text to pick up some eggs at the supermarket.  She asked with my phone in her hand,  always a ball buster.


*I know and I don't care, "Without which I never leave"  sounds stupid.  No one talks that way and the whole preposition at the end of a sentence rule is false.  If people can "conversate" I can end a sentence with a preposition.

From Google:

Ending a sentence with a preposition such as "with," "of," and "to", is permissible in the English language. There are theories that the false rule originates with the early usage guides of Joshua Poole and John Dryden, in trying to align the language with Latin, but there is no reason to suggest ending a sentence with a preposition is wrong. Nonetheless, the idea that it is a rule is still held by many.