Sunday, January 12, 2014


Has this ever happened to YOU?
phone 
When making a turn out of the barn Friday evening in the little utility vehicle I heard something drop into the street. Suddenly, a fire truck with flashing red lights comes up the normally very quiet road so, of course, I get out of the way. It goes up the street, makes a u-turn, goes back down the street, makes another u-turn, than back up the street again, now followed by an ambulance. Hmmmm. Wonder what's up? I hope my neighbors are ok. I finish my chore (dumping horse poop, it makes you strong) and I drive back to the scene of the thud to investigate what might have dropped out of my coat pocket (it wasn't the manure bucket).

Ah! My cellular device...no telling how many times it got run over but the cool thing was it still had power, it still barked (ring alert), quacked (text alert) and did everything it was designed to do BUT I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT FOR ALMOST FOUR DAYS because the screen was shattered. It's kinda pretty, eh? In a painful way:(

Now here's the take home...
Why would I share this story other than to make you laugh? 
(especially if this has happened to you in some way)

Experiences like this can stress you out! 
But it doesn't have to be so bad...

Here are 8 LESSONS I LEARNED during the epoch:

1. Always have a backup.
  • Back up your data, whether it be your phone, computer, or some other electronic gadget.
  • Don't assume it is automatically backing up to "The Cloud" or some cyberplace (I made up that word). Check periodcally. My backup button was OFF!!!
  • Maybe have an old phone you can switch to until your new one arrives.
2Don't rely so heavily on one device.
  • Indeed, it's cool to be techy, streamlined, and efficient, but don't neglect old-fashioned paper! Had I filled out the blank calendar on my desk I would have known my schedule for Monday and Tuesday rather than going to work and simply waiting to see who shows up!
  • I'm also going to check out that Google Calendar thing. I hear it's a great way to coordinate your schedule with co-workers and family members. How's that for time and stress management?
3. Remember to be THANKFUL.
  • No matter how bad a situation is, it can usually be worse. Start looking for anything you can give thanks for and focus on the positive so the negative stuff won't take over your mindset! For instance: 
  • I was thankful my phone stayed on so I was able to back it up to my computer even though the cloud thing was deactivated. 
  • I didn't get hit by the truck. Did you know that I got hit by a truck in Dec., 2010? Funny thing is the truck ran over my foot but my cell phone was in my outstetched arm and was fine, LOL
  • I was able to work 11 hours straight on Saturday (we had a brain mapping day) without interruptions and check messages later!
4. Know and/or keep a record of your usernames and pass codes for account status, message retrieval and information recovery. 

5. It's a good idea to have one of those "life-proof" cases for your phone.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I hear there's Lifeproof and Otterbox. I actually looked it up last week but didn't follow through with order. I'm looking for one that is waterproof and shock proof. Can't figure that one out, obviously. Help!!!

6. Don't procrasitnate on this list, it can save you a lot of stress!

7. When things are not going your way, slow down, take a breath, and look for another path. There could be an even better plan for you besides your own.
This ordeal was quite a lesson for me. I took the time to ponder it all. When the new phone finally arrived, while my data uploaded, it still would not work. The SIM card was not recognized and it would not go on the network, ugh! I was getting cranky, my relief was just out of reach and I was at the breaking point! Even the Sprint store guy had to call for tech support (thank you for the stellar service) but while waiting I ran into a cherished old friend and had a lovely visit. So, you see, if things had gone my way and worked without intervention, I would have missed that serendipitous appointment with my friend! Sometimes we just need to let go, get out of our own way and let good things happen in the midst of a storm.

8. Zip your pocket!
I encourage you to laugh and share this post and by all means, do some electronic device disaster prevention!

Stay tuned for my next post. I spent some time reading vs. surfing on my iphone. Interesting facts about reading, coming up...

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