Do you remember what it was like when there were no cell phones, and public phones weren’t always accessible. I remember that we had to be more creative. Think of all the stories we told when we were late for an appointment-a dinner date, an important meeting, etcetera. It wasn’t always possible to get in touch to say, “Sorry I’m going to be late.” And there were the times we were left standing on a corner waiting for someone, and that someone was standing on another corner waiting. No phone in hand to call and say, “Hey, where are you? I’ve been standing here for 20 minutes. What? No you’re not, I would have seen you. Wait a minute. Where are you?” Many people found themselves in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. And all of a sudden there was this matter of a flat tire. Realization strikes, I’ve never changed a flat tire. They slammed out of the car muttering all kinds of things to themselves. It sure took awhile, but, what a surprise, the job got done. And think of all the new and wonderful places that were discovered when people got lost and had to rely on a map. I know of people who still go back to a place they discovered when they lost their way once upon a time. For some it’s a restaurant, a theatre, or a beautiful site. It can be fun and freeing.
I’m not knocking cell phones. It’s one of the first things I put in my bag when leaving. I’m only saying that once there was a time when it was all different, and it wasn’t very long ago. Imagine that.