GREAT READS → DIARY SERIAL Issue 980 · September 27, 2023

Connected: Chapter 3 of 6 

The deed was done. I had my new black flip phone, with my lobotomized iPhone sitting there next to it on the counter

Connected: Chapter 3 of 6 

 

Here are the things I’m noticing some two weeks into my experiment. (If I keep calling it an experiment as opposed to a switch, that gives me permission to switch back guilt-free, right?)

Number one: The switch loomed so large in my head that now that I’ve done it, I’m shocked at how easy it was. Make no mistake, I’m not saying that downgrading from a smartphone to a flip phone isn’t a big deal. It is, and I’m still waiting for my trophy (I guess that will come after I stop calling this an experiment).

What I mean, though, is that I sort of expected my life to be a series of one annoyance after another without the iPhone to smooth out the bumps. I had this image of getting stuck 20 times a day in situations that only instant Internet access could solve.

The actual switch was nothing. I took my sim card out of my smartphone and put it in my new flip phone. (I’m middle-aged, so obviously I needed my teenage neighbor’s help with this. My own teens weren’t home for the summer.) We switched my contacts over (again, thank you, neighbor’s teen), which took a little time but nothing terrible. But then I saw my texts weren’t going through, so I had to spend some time on the phone with Verizon sorting it out.

Print Exclusive

This one’s in print. Some of our best stories live in the magazine — subscribe to get Mishpacha every week.

← Previous installment Connected: Chapter 2 of 6       Next installment → Connected: Part 4 of 6