Karen’s Corner
By Karen Barkstrom
OK, OK, I guess it’s time to admit I was wrong.
For years I have turned a deaf ear to all the comments from my husband, children, friends and co-workers that I need to get a cellphone.
Mike has had a cellphone forever. In fact, until just recently, he still had his flip phone and it worked just fine. Then they told him with new technology, the cell towers would no longer supply service to the older phones and he’d have to upgrade. I’m not sure if that was just a sales strategy or not, but it worked.
So now he has an iPhone 7 (I think that’s what you call it), and it’s pretty amazing. Not only can he make calls, send text messages and take photographs, but he can check his email and get on the internet anytime he wants to.
Oh yeah, and there’s the flashlight, and calendar and alarm clock, plus all the apps he can download so that practically everything he needs to take care of in his life is right there at his fingertips.
Even knowing all that about the convenience of cellphones, I have adamantly resisted getting one for myself. And here’s why:
24/7 availability
I like my privacy and my “me” time. When I’m home alone, I just like to tune everything out. Many times I don’t even turn on the TV or listen to music. I enjoy the peace and quiet. On the rare occasion when I’m the only one in the office, I really enjoy the silence. I realize cellphones have an “off” switch and volume control that can be turned to “silent,” but would I use it? I don’t know.
Where to carry it
I don’t carry a purse. I don’t wear a belt, so a handy-dandy leather pouch that attaches to a belt is out of the question. And my pockets are not deep enough to safely carry a cellphone.
Other people’s obsession
People drive me crazy with their cellphone habits. They walk through the grocery store or down the street, staring at their phones and not watching where they’re going. Or they text or place calls while driving! Or they have a very loud, animated and sometimes quite personal conversation with someone when I’m standing next to them in line.
Just last week when I was out to dinner, a couple sitting in the next booth both stared at their cellphones and didn’t say more than 10 words to each other. And while watching college football last weekend, every time the camera would scan the spectators, at least half of them were staring at their phones rather than watching the game! Hey guys, you are obsessed with your phones!
I’m too stubborn
This is probably the most honest answer about why I didn’t want my own cellphone. For years I’ve been saying “No, I don’t need one.” “No, I don’t want one.” “No, I’m not getting one.”
But a week or so ago, a not-all-that-unusual event made me realize it’s time to give in.
Coming out of handbell practice one evening about 7:30, driving out of the church parking lot, I discovered I had no headlights. I tried jiggling the switch, turned the ignition on and off a couple of times, said a few choice words and finally gave up. I turned the car off, walked back into the church and asked to borrow someone’s cellphone to call home. I explained the situation to Mike and he said he’d be right there to pick me up.
Three different people offered to stay with me until he got there and one offered to take me home. But I assured then I would be fine and they finally left.
Standing there in the empty church — which doesn’t have a land line — I got to thinking: What would I do if Mike didn’t show up in a reasonable amount of time? What if he had truck trouble? What if there were an accident on Olympic Highway and he were stuck in traffic? How would I get in touch with him? How far would I have to walk to find a phone?
Not to worry, ’cause he showed up in about 12 minutes and it certainly wasn’t a life-threatening emergency.
But it was enough. I give up. Hope this won’t be too much of a shock for all of you, but I’ll soon be getting a cellphone.
I know, I know. It’s about time!
Karen Barkstrom, The Daily World’s editorial assistant, can be reached at 360-537-3925 or kbarkstrom@thedailyworld.com.
