My Week in Do Not Disturb Mode

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Last Monday I went in for my annual checkup at the VA, and because most medical offices ask you to turn off your phone, I clicked the “Do Not Disturb” button on my settings.

That meant the phone wouldn’t ring during my checkup.

I suppose it made life a little easier for the doctor, and I was trying to be helpful.

I do the same thing when I go to church. I set my phone to “Do Not Disturb” so it won’t ring during the middle of the sermon.

That would be embarrassing.

I grant you, it’s not a big thing.

But … after the doctor’s visit, I forgot to turn my phone back on.

For most of the week, I did not receive any phone calls. As in NONE. My phone followed my last instruction and did not disturb me with those ring tones.

I have to admit I wondered why no one called me all week.

That certainly wasn’t normal, but it made each day a little smoother, and I accomplished quite a few things without interruptions.

Towards the end of the week, I checked my phone history and noticed I hadn’t been forgotten by the world.

In fact, I had received dozens of calls — a few were highlighted as potential scams, but most were from people I knew. I just had no idea they called.

So, I turned off the “Do Not Disturb” function and rejoined the land of the living.

Now, once again, I am hearing that ring tone that tells me someone knows I am alive.

Then a horrible thing happened

As bad as my “Do Not Disturb” problem was, a few weeks ago, I had a much more serious concern.

It was morning and I was in a hurry. I grabbed my laptop, jumped in the car, did some errands on the other side of town, then settled into one of my writing spots at the Southgate Mall.

I set up and began typing.

I was well into the story I was working on, when I realized —

I left my phone at home.

I’m not joking.

I was sitting in the Scheel’s coffee shop in the Southgate Mall, and I did NOT have a phone.

Home was 4 1/2 miles away.

I was out in the world without a phone!

I’m sure you can imagine the stress I was feeling.

What if I needed to call someone?

What if someone needed to call me?

What if …

It was difficult to focus on my writing, but I stuck it out for a couple of hours before I headed back home.

I pulled into the garage, went into the house, grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket.

Life was restored.

How did I survive?

That terrifying experience made me think about when I was a kid growing up in Southern California.

Back then — I’m old, so back then is a very long time ago — no one had a cell phone.

There was no way to contact another person unless you could find a pay phone. and even then, you would need to have quarters or dimes or nickels in your pockets.

A pay phone was … well … never mind.

If you don’t know what a pay phone was, my description probably wouldn’t help you understand.

And if you did want to contact a person, that person had to be in a house where probably only one phone existed. We refer to it as a land line today. If they weren’t in that house, they wouldn’t even know you called.

But as I think back on those years, I can’t remember ever feeling nervous about not having a phone on my person.

Was I naive? Foolish? Or was that actually a better time to live?

“The baby bust and the gender gap” by Alex Berenson.

“A Shocking 3.4% of journalists are Republicans. Does it matter?” by Ken LaCorte.

“A Church Meeting is Now a Conspiracy” by Leif Le Mahieu.

Before I go, I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)

Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today