Finding the way
It was quite an invigorating night, but one that ended in despair.
Ten minutes after arriving in my house, I found out I lost my iPhone.
That is one of my worst fears. My cellphone is the extension of myself (proof of my life). What’s worse, I knew my cellphone’s battery was dead at the time I lost it. So I couldn’t call, I couldn’t text (I did, anyway).
I was in suspended animation, neither here nor there that night and the next few days, responding to every text with “hu dis?”. It was embarrassing.
Anyway, those were the most disquieting days of my life, but as in everything, here are some lessons learned:
1. Retrace your steps several times in your mind (mine was restaurant- car-saw friend-car-mail room-house). Then actually retrace it (called restaurant-went back to restaurant-went back to where I saw friend-mailroom-looked at every nook and cranny in house-pestered restaurant again, but did it in a nice way). Leave messages, ask people, they might have seen something.
2. If you have an iPhone, install the Find iPhone app. I thought I installed but turns out, I was not able to finish the process. Test it from time to time (to time). The question is, would it work if the battery is dead? None of the websites I visited ever answered that question.
3. Put in a pass key. I did not have it in my iPhone because my son always plays with it. Not doing that haunted me (at least if someone ill-intentioned got it, they will not have an easy time to get your private information). There’s even an option to erase all your data after 10 tries (not sure I’d go this far though, there’s “the son”). In any case, the Find iPhone app gives the option to erase all the data too.
4. Do not store sensitive information like credit card numbers or social insurance numbers, or photos of you you wouldn’t want the world to see.
5. Change your email and Facebook passwords right away.
6. Always charge your phone any chance you get (so you can call it when you misplace or lose it).
7. If several hours have passed and still no phone, call your provider to have your number suspended (or you pay all long distance calls and data charges made on that phone).
8. Sync your information with your computer (duplication is key).
9. Check with your provider regarding replacement information. You might qualify for early replacement or free replacement (you might pay some fees and prolong your contract though – aaaargh).
10. Text or call yourself so that when someone who finds the phone had the sense to charge it (in case it had no batteries) to find out clues of who it belongs to, the text will direct them to you (give your husband’s or friend’s number).
11. Hope.
It was the last one that got me through those horrific days and led me to find my phone. 4 days after losing it, I called the building manager to find out if by any chance a phone was found in the mail room. I did this even though my husband was adamant in his truth that I did not leave anything there, and even though I went back there immediately and did not find anything. Turns out someone who was good found it and gave it to him (thank you whoever you are).
This story ended well. But in my mind, I lived through the other horrific outcomes. But despite that, I always reserved – within – a strong feeling of hope, and believed (despite the 7 days that passed) that my phone is not lost to me.
I fought despair, hopelessness, the darkness.
“A change of feeling is a change of destiny.” – Neville Goddard (1905-1972)
I found out that indeed, it is.