Tuesday Tidbits: I Refuse

I’m not adverse to technology, but . . .

I don’t have any of the social media apps on my phone. I can do anything I need to do when I get home. I see people staring at their phones, not talking, and it makes me kinda sad. I miss the days when I couldn’t be reached when I was out. Sure I could leave the phone at home, but . . .

It does feel weird, doesn’t it. We all have gotten to the car and felt that sense of panic when we think we don’t have our phone. How did we do it before? We just did.

I don’t need the next big gadget, my TV is still an old cathode ray tube Zenith from the 90s. No, that’s a lie, but it wasn’t that long ago when I put it out on the curb. My 32″ flat screen served me for 10 years until someone gave me their 48″ Smart LG. It has a whole lot of functions, but . . .

I just use it to watch TV.

I don’t need a watch that tracks my steps (or tells me when my phone is ringing – I have a phone for that). I do have a Garmin GPS which I have used for distance and pacing when I run, but . . .

Once I know how long a route is, I can look at the time before I leave and again when I get back. Easy-peasy. As for pace, if I get tired, I slow down.

I have seen a lot of technology come and go. The first home gaming system I had was a ColecoVision, I had a Walkman (but no Discman) and I still have the earbuds that came with it. I didn’t have a home computer until the late 90s, and I begrudgingly got a cellphone, then later an iPhone, then back to a flip phone because all I needed it for was to talk and sometimes text, but . . .

I did upgrade to an iPhone again because it was free from my sister who was upgrading. All I need it for is talk and text, and it is easier to text on.

I can’t imagine where technology will go in the next ten years, but . . .

I’ll probably have the same iPhone.

-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/