It was a pretty lazy Saturday.  Not much planned and late in the morning, I thought I’d scoop up the sheets and pillowcases off the bed and toss ’em in the washing machine.

A while later, the washer played those familiar that notified me the load was done, so I went to toss the laundry in the dryer.  As I lifted up the damp pile from the bottom of the washing machine, I heard a clunk.  A rather loud clunk.  Like something had fallen out of the pile of soggy sheets.

It was my cellphone.

A beautiful Samsung Galaxy S6 that had only enjoyed 6 months of life outside the box. This was a first for me, but I had heard of people who dropped their phones in water, only to revive them by placing them in rice. I gave it a try.  24 hours later, I plugged it in and it appeared to be charging. It actually got up to a 26% charge but when I tried to turn it on, the words “Samsung Galaxy S6” came up on the screen…but that’s as far as it would go.  I then unplugged it and placed it back into the bag of rice.

I tried to ride it out.  Some people online said that it could take up to two weeks.  But here’s the deal: I’m an addict.  My entire life is based around the functionality of my cell phone.  My daily alarm clock was gone.  The brain that reminded me of the appointments I scatter through each week–gone.  Needless to say, I was inaccessible unless I was at home and someone called my home number, if they knew it.  When I left home, I was away from email until I returned.

Now, all of this disconnection isn’t bad unless you’re running a business and you need to stay in touch. So, I started thinking of ways to improvise.  I realized that I had a Samsung tablet that I wasn’t really using and it was like a big cell phone, it just couldn’t make calls.  But it would allow me to check email, set the alarm and wake up to the same sound I normally do, etc.  I could survive for a while.

I checked the phone again.  Same results.

It was now day 2 without a phone and I couldn’t stand it. I went to three difference T-Mobile stores.  Two of them told me to just go through the insurance, pay the $175 deductible and get on with my life.  The third store said, “Oh, it’ll take four days to get it back.  For $250, we’ll give you the phone now.”

That’s when my Scottish heritage kicked in and saving $75 was worth waiting a couple of days for a new phone.  However, I filled out the insurance claim on Monday and got my new phone on Tuesday!  For only $175! OK, now this is working.

So, once again, I’m plugged back into Cell Phone Society.  I will say that because my address book was on the phone and NOT on my Sim card, I lost everything in my address book. It would help greatly if you would text me a note and let me know who you are, give me your email address and other vital information so I can add you back in.

In summary, here’s what I learned or had affirmed:

• Insure your cell phone.
• The phone insurance people understand your needs and will get you your new phone pronto.
• While multi-tasking is productive, sometimes you just need to slow down and focus on one thing at a time.
• Your Smartphone probably won’t survive a 50-minute wash in hot water.
• Stick with your local phone store. Go to someone who recognizes your face, not someone looking to up-sell you.
• You may have to buy a higher-capacity Sim card, but it will be so worth it if something happens to that phone.

This was my first and hopefully last such experience of “losing” a cell phone. We’ve allowed these devices into our lives and now, they’re a part of them.  If nothing else, I must look at the positive things that came out of all this. Like, for example, I was unable to take a selfie for almost 72 hours.

It’s the little things.

Tim Hunter