Call from the Universe: Collect

Ever hear the saying that you always hurt the ones you love?

This has been my experience with my smart phone.  My passion for my phone, my dependence on it and the need to always be available, mostly to my kids has led to the destruction of six phones in less than five years.

 #1 was the victim of a hit-and-run accident.  It dropped out of my jacket as I was on a marathon training run. I noticed it missing soon enough to see if glimmering by the side of the road, but not so soon that I couldn’t get to it before an oncoming car.

 #2 landed in the toilet at Hynes Auditorium.

Less than 24 hours later, #3 landed in the toilet at my office.

#4 was buried in a snow bank for  48 hours.  It kinda sorta worked when I found it, but not for long.

#5 landed in a tub of hot bubbling  water at the local nail salon. The pedicure nearly made the loss worthwhile.

#6, my most recent victim, fell into the turkey brine at Thanksgiving.

Lest you get the idea that I’m one of those people who can’t put their phone down, let me set the record straight. I used to be that way, probably (though I don’t think I knew it at the time).  I’m much better now but I still like the idea of the phone more than actually using it.  

Which brings me to the question of balance, my greatest challenge not just in yoga but in all aspects of my life.  Just as I struggle with Garudasana (Eagle) or even, at times, Tree, I am constantly trying to figure out how to spend the precious hours of my day – whether to work or play, whether to hang with the kids or my beloved, and whether to answer the phone when it rings, to wait until the rest of the family is otherwise or  to simply turn it off and put it away so that whoever I’m with understands that my attention – my focus – is on them and only them.

And so I wonder: Are these problems with smart phones a coincidence or are they calls from the universe telling me to hang it up?

After destroying six smart phones  I’ve decided it’s time to try something different, at least for awhile. The old, definitely not smart phone that I’ve been using since Thanksgiving is a relic. I can barely make a call,  never mind text. It has no appeal to me whatsoever and, therefore, no risk of being tucked into a shallow pocket to be at the ready. That may be its saving grace. And mine.

namaste.