I accidentally left my phone home for the day and this is what happened.

I would share pics, but I didn’t have my phone.

We were already on the road to an activity with friends midday when I realized I hadn’t put my phone in my purse. I asked my husband to turn back ‘round but he said we would be late.

No phone for the whole day? With a family party later in the evening? Unthinkable.

And yet there I was, in the car, unable to fix the situation.

In the back seat, my youngest daughter commiserated as she was busy tapping a message on her phone.

I twiddled my thumbs, suddenly turned jobless, and looked out the window. It was a sunny day, though crisp cold, and we passed some wetlands with water so smooth it reflected the snowy mountain range, tinged with blue. Had I even noticed that before as a passenger?

Using my husband’s phone, I messaged my other kids that I had left my phone at home and to please message their dad instead.

I glanced nervously at my husband. We could actually…talk to each other. I’d forgotten how to do this. I asked him questions like we used to in the pre-cell phone days.

After our midday activity, we moved on to grabbing a quick bite to eat. Gasp. No phone to take pics of my JDawg polish sausage smothered with onions, sauerkraut, and their special sauce. And me eating it.