My Love/Hate Relationship

This is me.

This is my I-phone.

(well, this is a phone that looks a lot like my phone.  I have found that it is nearly impossible to take a picture of your phone WITH your phone!  Ha, ha!)

I have a love/hate relationship with my I-phone.

Historically, it has mostly been a love relationship.

Love the apps.  Love the voice to text feature. Love the internet access. Love how easy it is to use. Love playing Words with Friends. Love being accessible to my friends.

But recently I have been feeling like my phone is running my life.

Somewhere along the way, it seems like the power has shifted and now my phone controls me, not the other way around.

For instance, last Friday when I let Derrick play hooky from school and we went on our date, I told him that I will try not to be on my phone while we are together.

Next thing I know, I am texting a friend to let her know why I can't return her call.

Then a friend texted me to ask if we could do coffee on short notice.  Well, I didn't think it would be polite to wait to respond to that text. If it was me, I would want to know how to plan.

Later on, a friend that I text with regularly sent me a message.  Since I usually respond pretty quickly, I didn't want her to start wondering why I didn't write back more quickly.

Then another friend texted me to confirm dinner plans for the evening and decide where we were going to go.  That meant I needed to text Jeremy.  And on it went.

And soon Derrick was saying, in an accusing tone, "Mom! I thought you said you weren't going to be on your phone!!"

I explained to him that I had to get back to some people, but still...

I DO love staying in touch with my friends. I love the ease of texting.  And I have to say, I appreciate when friends are quick to respond and you don't have to wait for hours to get a reply.

But in an effort to unclutter my mind and feel more peaceful, I am wondering if I need to set up some boundaries for me and my I-phone.

I don't know where to start. Or even if I want to.  When I think of only checking my phone on the hour, it makes me feel kind of panicky. 

Maybe I could check it when it alerts me to a text or a reminder, but if it isn't urgent, I could wait to respond until later.

I don't know.  It is just something I have been thinking about.

What is your relationship like with your phone?  Do you love your phone?  Do you hate it?  Do you feel like it important to be accessible to others?  Does the constant checking of your phone, responding to texts, checking your e-mail and playing games make your mind feel cluttered and distracted?  Or is it just part of life?

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