Authentically Flawed

Anyone else hyper-dependent on one of their electronic devices? Turns out, I am!

So there it was, a beautiful Sunday in Austin. Jeremy and I had just had an amazing morning, complete with brunch and mimosas at one of our favorite restaurants. For the first time in months, the weather was pleasant and we were able to walk around outside without the weight of the oppressive Texas heat. By all accounts, it was a perfect day. Until I went to the Apple Store.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I grabbed my Watch, as I’ve done every day since Watch debuted in 2015. I put it on and noticed with mild annoyance that it hadn’t charged overnight; no big deal – sometimes I forget to check that it actually attached to the magnet. I put it on a different charger while I got ready for the day and confirmed the green charging ring indicating it was properly connected. Much to my surprise, 40 minutes later I took it off the charger and it hadn’t charged. I put it on a different charger, got ready for my afternoon, grabbed it and still no charge. I didn’t think much of this; there is an Apple Store where Jeremy and I were headed so once we finished our AMAZING adventure, I took it to my beloved retail giant.

This is where the day took a turn – after testing the Watch on one of their chargers, they confirmed the issue and said they didn’t have repair service on site so they’d have to send my Watch out for repair…and that I’d get it back in five business days. Five business days. I paused to keep from hyperventilating and then asked if there was another option, to which I was advised I could get a replacement for a $400 hold on my card while they waited for the old one to arrive. I opted to send mine out and endure the work week without my device. Below is an account of what that week was like.

First of all, it’s been an illumination of how dependent I’ve become on Watch. Multiple times last week, I instinctively looked at my naked wrist for every day activities. Standing in the closet, looking out the window wondering if it was as cold as it appeared, I’d look at my wrist…this is where I usually get the current temperature. Getting ready for work in the morning and not knowing how much time I had til my first meeting, I’d look at my wrist…this is where I’d see the time. Turns out it takes me significantly longer to get ready when I have no idea what time it is. It’s like time doesn’t exist if I can’t see it. Finding my flow at work, I’d wait for the familiar haptic letting me know I had 10 minutes until my next meeting, but no tiny taps came and I had to actually look at my calendar. Multiple times, I missed text messages because for the past eight years, I’ve been trained to respond to a double tap on my wrist instead of the sound of the alert from my phone (I silenced alerts altogether years ago because of this). Mid-week, Jeremy walked into the bedroom and asked me what time it was. With no clue where my phone was, I held up my naked wrist and yelled in a dramatic tone “I don’t know!!” I’m so grateful he hasn’t left me.

Heaven forbid I’d have had one of my classic clumsy moments during this separation; things could have gotten really serious without my fall detection.

And then there was the impact of Life Without Rings. For eight years, I’ve used the famous Stand, Exercise, and Move Rings and their associated notifications to get me through my day. Calendar full of meetings? I need to make sure to stand for at least a few minutes between meetings lest I get the judgmental “time to stand” alert. How challenging was my workout? That move ring will taunt me into pushing harder. What are my people doing? I get notifications when they finish workouts, close their rings, and win awards; this activates the competitiveness in me. Thankfully, Peloton was still connected to my Fitness app, but without my heart rate monitor, I was really just taunted by my Move ring. Is a workout even a workout if you didn’t close your ring?? Sure didn’t feel like it.

My beloved Watch was delivered late Friday afternoon, a full work week after “the separation”. Reunited and it feels so good has new meaning in my life now. Apparently there was nothing seriously wrong with it, which I figured given it’s only a year old. Although it’s frustrating that the Store couldn’t fix it, Apple has truly created a unique user experience with Watch and while I understand that over-reliance on technology can be dangerous, I’m grateful for the conveniences this device affords me. If you’re on the fence about getting one, 10/10 recommend! Have a great week, fam – I definitely will!