Recently I had a dream that someone had taken my cell phone. In the dream, I was locked inside a Convention Center with other people, and could not get out. I could not call anyone to get help, or to let them know that I was there, because someone had taken my cell phone. Also, in the dream, I knew I could have used another phone to call my family, but I did not know any of their phone numbers… Because all of their phone numbers were in my cell phone.
I know there can be numerous interpretations of what that dream means, but the thing that stuck with me when I woke up, was the reality of what would happen if I lost my cell phone.
I don’t know about you, but it seems that we are at the point where we seem to rely on our cell phones for everything. It is our map, our address book, our itinerary, our calendar, our weatherman, our camera, our video camera, our photo album, our office away from home, our main organizer of our lives, and our personal phone book…
It wasn’t always this way.
Not so many years ago, when I worked for the phone company, I had many phone numbers memorized. I knew not only my phone number, but I knew all of my family members phone numbers, and my best friend’s phone number, and some of my work associates phone numbers… But now, with the convenience of a cell phone, I no longer have any phone numbers memorized. Instead I have lots, and lots, of passwords memorized. Which will do me no good if I do not have access to a computer or a cell phone. I rely on my cell phone for all of my information when I go anywhere.
But, I know better than to not have information I need written down. On paper.
GLOBETROTTING 101…
Yep, I know how important it is to have back up papers with all of the information that you need when you travel. I found that out the hard way when I was in Europe a few years ago and my cell phone died. I had all of my information, to contact all of the people I was staying with, and all of my itinerary, on my cell phone. My dead cell phone.
There I was, shivering in the cold, at the airport waiting for my ride. I was going to a conference, in a small town near the airport. I had arrived in England, but I was unable to contact the organizers to let them know the time changed on my flight. Why? I did not have their phone numbers to reach them. Worse than that, I didn’t even have their name. I didn’t have their address. I had no way to contact them. Why, because my precious cell phone had died during our transatlantic flight, and was not recharging. I had no way to get the information out of my phone.
So, I waited, outside, in the freezing cold, on the sidewalk, outside the terminal.
I waited. And, I waited. And, I waited… While, all the while, the people I was going to be staying with were waiting for me to call them. The conference organizers came to the airport earlier, but found that my flight had been delayed several hours, and so they assumed I would call them when I arrived. Finally someone checked on my flight, and found that it had actually arrived just a few minutes after they left the airport – 3 hours ago. They then realized that perhaps I could not contact them for some reason… and they should just go back out to the airport. Four hours after I landed, they arrived. I was exhausted from the long international flight, not to mention jetlagged, and the four hour wait in the cold was grueling. Needless to say, I was not in great shape to speak at the conference that night. But, it was my fault, not theirs. I was the one who did not have a back up plan!
I learned that day that when I travel, I always need to have a back up plan!
I needed to be sure I had a paper copy of my itinerary, and all the places I was staying, and all of the contact numbers I would need for my trip. I cannot count on my cell phone to have all the information I need.
The next day my cell phone miraculously got recharged, and I was able to get all of the information for my trip. I wrote everything down, and I stuck the information in my passport, knowing I would not go anywhere without my passport during my trip.
And, boy, was it a good thing I did that!
Less than one week later, I was in another country, when my cell phone died again. This time, completely. I found that although I was charging my phone with the charger and the converter, which should have worked, it was not working correctly. My cell phone would not charge.This time I lost all of the information on my cell phone. I lost all of my contact information. I lost my schedule. I lost my itinerary. I lost my notes. I lost my powerpoint presentations. I lost all of the hundreds of pictures on my cell phone – including all of the photos from my whole trip. My cell phone had to be rebooted to get it to work again, so I lost everything that was on there. I was so glad that I had the information for the rest of my trip written down!
But, I guess I didn’t really learn the lesson. Because here I am, living my life everyday, without my emergency backup information written down. I do not have my family, friends, and emergency contact numbers written down to carry with me everywhere. I am counting on my cell phone to work. I am counting on all the information in my cell phone to be accessible to me.
But, what if my cell phone was lost, or if it was taken from me, as it had been in my dream? What if I could not get to the information on my cell phone? What if it crashed and I was stranded somewhere?
I do not have any of my friends, family, or emergency contact phone numbers memorized anymore. Do you?
So, today I did something about it. I printed out several copies my friends and family’s phone numbers, and addresses, for me to have. I put one in my wallet, I put one by my bedside, one in my backpack, and I put a copy in my small travel suitcase. I am also starting a small paper address book that I can take with me again, as I used to when I traveled. Because, you never know…
Perhaps my cell phone will never crash again. Perhaps the events in my dream will never happen. Perhaps I will never need the list. I hope not.
But the dream was enough of a reminder that sometimes our cell phones don’t work. And things can get lost or stolen. And it’s wise for us to have a paper back up that won’t crash on us, or need to be recharged…
So, remember, whether you are out globetrotting, or close to home, it is wise to have a back-up plan!