Answering The Call

Today I'm excited because I made it to the other side of yesterday.

Yesterday was the kind of day that I needed some of those mindfulness practices I've been researching and sharing. I feel like I could have sat forever in a safe spot inhaling calm deeply as I rubbed this pillow to change the sequins from black to white, then exhaling chaos as I flipped them back from white to black. 

Click the picture for more info; I was lucky to find these treasures on holiday clearance, 

so I bought six of them and using the extras as prizes for my mindfulness learning session.

Let me explain. Last week, after an unsuccessful security update (which I typically choose not to do!), my iPhone started randomly restarting itself until it finally froze. Ugh. Pretty sure that it was a goner (and extremely frustrated with a company that would send updates that would freeze or slow down a phone on purpose), we headed to the T-Mobile store Thursday night and ended up buying a Samsung. Though not totally sold on changing from an iPhone to an Android, I figured that my kids, who all have one, could help me if I got stuck. Besides, it's not like I get that many calls; I mostly use the phone to text and email. Friday was okay because no calls came in, but my frustration spiked Saturday morning as I held the phone, unable to figure out how to answer it, as it rang. I could tell that John was calling and I was trying desperately to answer (Hello? Hello. Can you hear me now?), but pushing the green button rendered it unresponsive. It just rang and rang. I ended up texting him to let him know that I don't know how to answer my new phone.

That's when I decided to call Apple to see if my old phone was, in fact, a goner. Thankfully I had nothing to do that morning, because I spent forty five minutes on hold before Sara, a kind and patient Apple rep up in Montreal, answered and offered to help me. Over the next two hours, we tried two different things, with two different cords, on two different computers. She called me back three different times and three different times we got a code 9. Stuck, she offered an appointment at my local Apple store; the earliest thing they had, she told me, was next Thursday. I took it, thanked her profusely for helping me, then decided to head to the Apple store and take my chances on a walk-in appointment. I met a joyful young man named Roman at the Genius Bar and was given a spot in line. In two hours. Two hours, I figured, was lots of time to figure out the new Android on the chance that Apple couldn't revive my iPhone. I found a spot on a bench outside of the chaos inside the Apple store and began texting my questions to Kaitlyn. Twice she offered to call me to practice, and twice I couldn't figure out how to answer as it rang in my hands. Just as I was at the point of a frustration cry feeling so weak, John showed up, so I handed the ringing phone to him. 

Now neither one of us could figure out how to answer that new phone, so we texted Kaitlyn asking for the secret. She said that you have to swipe the green button. Slide it, she said, to the right. A bit counterintuitive, but she dialed us one more time and success, John was able to answer the phone. He handed the phone to me so Kaitlyn could give me a growth mindset pep talk about how it's just going to take time, about how it's still basically a smart phone, just in different skin, about how persistence will pay off. She offered whatever help I might need to navigate my new device. 

John and I walked around and did some shopping before two hours were finally up and it was our turn back at the Genius Bar. An hour later, the rep confirmed what Sara in Montreal already knew, that a code 9 pretty much meant the phone was a goner. They'd be happy to sell me a replacement at a discounted price, but now I'd have to decide: Keep the Samsung and climb that steep learning curve with Kaitlyn's help or buy a replacement for that frozen phone and hope that the next update didn't mean more of the same. At crunch time, I went with the latter.

That's right, I'm a Droid dropout.

I didn't feel good about abandoning it before I gave it more of a chance, 

but I wasn't really connecting with it.

It didn't feel right in my head or my heart or my hands.

And I wasn't sure it ever would.

So I gave myself permission to prefer an iPhone to an Android.

Pretty funny, really, all of that fuss over a phone, 

especially since nobody even really calls me and vice versa.

But today, everything feels right again, 

because I'm back to answering my calls on an Apple.

Sometimes life's like my day yesterday: The phone is ringing, but we can't quite figure out how to answer the call. And like with a phone that needs more memory, it can be overwhelming to self-regulate, solve problems, and work at maximum capacity when our mind is full. Know that it's not weak to get frustrated or cry. Stay in the moment, mindfully aware, focused on your breathing, with intention, careful not to let your challenges disconnect you from your therapeutic safe spot. Stay there as long as you need. Take your time; you deserve it.

What are your go-to resources for answering the call

when life threatens to disconnect you for a spell?