Today started out nicely. I was up early, got a list of things accomplished well before the little boy was up and well before the phone starts ringing to interrupt me. I was packed for the gym and ready to go for the day before even putting him on the bus. I even prepared my lunch (a chopped salad and roasted sweet potato wedges with a little bit of crunch time peanut butter) to bring with me for after the gym since I was heading straight to my hair appointment.
I wasn’t quite sure what my workout plan was going to be this morning and just figured I would feel it out when I got there. Maybe the treadmill, maybe an elliptical. Maybe both.
Well..I arrive at the gym and noticed once I was in the locker room that I had no phone to plug my ear phones into. Hmm. I know I had the phone while walking into the gym. I looked everywhere, asked the front desk. No phone. Hmm.
I never lose things. I looked around some more and decided perhaps it is in my car and I didn’t ever take it out. I was in a hurry so I chose to run on the treadmill and deal with the phone issue after.
A missing phone = no Pandora or itunes.
Running on a treadmill with no Pandora, no itunes and an MIA iphone = extreme running dedication.
I ended up doing speed intervals to get 4 miles done as quick as possible.
I hate the treadmill. Even when I have fabulous music. It is simply close to torture with nothing to listen to but the noise of the gym and the sound of my feet on the belt.
The lack of music allowed me to be even more in tune with my body. Sure, that may sound great but it gave me ample time to think about how “not right” my sneakers are still feeling. I am not ready for new sneakers according to my plan.
Anyway, even after I finished and showered I couldn’t locate my phone.
I couldn’t even call to cancel my hair appt since I had no phone. I couldn’t call Verizon to let them know I was missing my phone because I had no phone.
I was lost. Completely lost.
So, I did what any normal girl would do, I went to get my hair done.
You all I know I believe in looking your best even when you are in a less than wonderful mood.
Awesome hair = Happy
Later in the day I went back to Lifetime Fitness and to make a long story short, they had my phone.
What does one learn from this experience?
Well, one learns how much the world has changed and how dependent we are on cell phones. We are all so connected that being without our smart phones, our little worlds do not function correctly. I kept hearing other people’s phones ring thinking it was mine. Other people’s texts going off thinking it was mine. I kept reaching for my phone to check email, facebook, texts, and missed calls.
Even weirder, I kept thinking I felt it vibrate in my bag.
While I was running on the boring treadmill, I decided we are all way too connected. That is part of the reason I kept my hair appointment. We all functioned years ago without all this connected technology.
I see it with my son and his friends. All too connected to these iproducts. I do not consider myself old but I will sound it when I say, “What happened to toys? What happened to playing outside? What happened to reading a real book that has paper pages and a hard cover?”
The truth is, the world could wait a few hours to reach me and I could go a few hours without seeing facebook and emails.
My hair on the other hand, was in need of attention.
I agree. I’m of the Iphone generation, but when I meditate about attachment I realise how attached I am to my mobile. We are constantly on them, impatiently tapping away, expecting instant results in life like we get from our phones. There is still a lot to be said from face-to-face contact away from the lure of Facebook and our mobile phones. Sometimes we need to step away from the screen and be more interactive…
Totally agree that I need my music and entertainment! Good for you for getting the workout in. I hate the treadmill too. I have to make myself do it every once in a while but it’s never fun!