My mind is always buried in technology. I spend all my days managing my online classes, and my free time is usually spent reading articles on the internet or communicating with friends via facebook. The fact that my mom is now on facebook also is a time drainer since I have to constantly answer her questions. She also joined Farmville and spends half her life watching her crops grow.
In my last blog post, I mentioned how I thought that a reality like second life was not for me...that I would miss what the real world had to offer. I didn't take into account the bad things that life offers as well. This was painfully clear as I hit a deer on Thursday.
There is nothing to remind me how helpless I am without technology as that night. I was on a dark, country road in my sporty little car when WHAM! out of nowhere a deer decided to run into the front of my car. Apparently once wasn't enough since the deer bounced off and proceeded to run against my door. I knew I wasn't in for a fun night when my car started making a grinding noise and my driver's side headlight went out.
My first reaction was to get out of the car and check the damage, but my door wouldn't open. My second reaction was to get my cell phone out and call someone; my cell phone was nowhere to be found. I could visualize it sitting on my kitchen counter, and I assumed that's where it still was. So I was out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone and a broken car.
I was able to walk to a house that had some lights on half a mile away and use the owners' phone to make some phone calls. But they didn't have a computer, and I couldn't look up some of the places I needed to get in touch with. I didn't have my gps with me, so I couldn't give an accurate explanation where I was to the police and the tow truck. Everything eventually worked out, but I was left thinking about how people survived without all the technical gadgets that I NEED day to day.
Maybe I've become too dependent on being able to use my phone to both make calls and browse the internet, and I think that when push comes to shove in a situation like this, the only thing that can be relied on is other people and the ability of you mind to assess the situation and work out a plan. In all of this, getting my car towed back to my house and getting everything filed correctly, I wasn't able to use any of the things I normally depend on. It was a little bit of an eye-opener.
I eventually found my cell phone...on the passenger's side floor.
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Wow!
ReplyDeleteDid the phone fly across the car onto the passenger side? That was my first thought when i was reading it. What kind of car? What's the damage?
There have been many cases in my life where I suddenly find without the devices i'm partway helpless. You don't have a map, you don't memorize your daughter's cell number (why would you- it's in your phone!) or you figure you'll just call for specific directions when you're in the neighborhood.
My wife and I just went to see The Road (not a good date movie) and there's a scene when they're trudging thru a pile of cash and jewelry- totally ignoring it. Where would we be without the cell towers, or the network, or power!? I'm big on still understanding the basics, like how to stay warm, start a fire, use a knife, etc... you never do know!
Let us know how it worked out!
d.i.
The cell phone was thrown to the floor- my purse was on the passenger seat, and everything in it was thrown out. I have a black iphone, so I couldn't see it with the little bit of light in my car. I'm planning on getting a brighter case for it very soon.
ReplyDeleteI have a Scion Xa, which is a very small car. Great gas mileage but mostly made of plastic. I always assumed that, if I ever got into an accident, it would all splinter. However, this car was a real trooper with the deer. Even though the deer tore up the whole front of my car...literally- everything from the middle of the car across the driver's side was smushed in or gone, never did find the headlight...the car's frame held and the airbag never needed to deploy. So it just looks really bad and was not driveable since much of driver's side of the car was mashed against the front wheel.
I spent most of Friday morning hoping the insurance company wouldn't total it; I love that car. The insurance company ended up not even coming out and just deciding to fix it. So now I'm waiting to hear back on Monday from the body shop to hear how long my car is out of commission.
I was given a rental, and I chose a big pick-up truck so that I would feel safe driving until the initial fear of driving at night and on the country roads passes.
It all made me really appreciate living in an area where old people will still open their doors at night to a stranger. Also, now I can evaluate the situation and maybe step away a bit from my dependency on all my gadgets. It also made me hug everyone a little bit harder this weekend.