Last night I arrived home and fell quickly into panic. A panic that involved delirious frantic searching, digging through pockets, throwing around belongings and racing thoughts. “No, that couldn’t have just happened, could it?” was my first thought. Nah. Check again. And as I checked again, the reality of what had just transpired sank in and the tears began to flow … along with the swears (sorry gentle reader).
Have you ever had a moment where the truth hits you like a speeding train with such clarity that of course, nothing else makes sense. It’s like in the movies when the foreshadowing ties the plot together perfectly, and you often wonder how you didn’t see it coming. Sometimes you trick yourself into thinking you did see it coming.
Well, last night was like that. You see, my phone was stolen on my commute home.
The hysteria that ensued after figuring this out was short lived. There was little I could do, as the bus (and sticky-fingered culprit) were long gone. My biggest concern was my personal information on my phone and my cell phone account.
So after a small tantrum and a plethora of distasteful phrases, I pulled myself together enough to get over to my cell phone provider to fix the issue. Of course, they were able to turn off the SIM card, rendering the phone at least unserviceable. I was reassured by the guy behind the counter that, since I had set my phone with a security pin, my information should be relatively safe. Still, I will be doing the long and painful process of changing all of my passwords. ALL of them. (Silver lining moment: At least I’ll finally have a reason to follow Gina Trapani’s safe password tips.)
However little could be done about my phone itself. Being in the middle of a recent phone contract made me illegible for any upgrades. So to regain sanity, control over my technology destiny and a working phone, I had to replace my beloved G2 at cost. Ugh. The pocketbook felt that zing.
So lessons learned. A good deal of them. Like don’t leave your phone in a side backpack, you daft idiot. Be aware of your surroundings. Even more. Backup your phone. Even though I’m not modding anymore, having to reset everything up is annoying to say the least. Technology dependency is a blessing and a curse. I love that my information easily syncs but not being able to get at it drives me crazy. I should really work on this dependency.
I’m trying to look at this situation with a positive slant. I’m not ready to take the bus to the train yet, so I’ll be adding another 20 minutes of walking a day. That’s healthy.
I’m changing all of my passwords. That’s added security. So that’s a good thing.
My phone now will reside in my front pocket, and I’ll avoid taking it out on public transit altogether. Already I didn’t like having it in my front pocket, but it’s a small price to pay.
Although in the end, I hope this is the end of the lessons, and I can live happily ever after with my (new) G2.
Be inspired.
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