Terry Lynne Hale

Practicing the Art of Perseverance

iStock © prawny

Address books and Rollodexes- antiquated processes for keeping track of our contacts and other personal data. But, get this: I had to check my spelling on the name and found Rolodex is still in business!

Check it out- their home page soothes “Bring Balance Back to Your World” which I think is an interesting marketing angle.  A break from the dizzying speed of all things digital, right?

Computers aside, for the most part it has become smart phones that are our PDAs (thank you, Blackberry RIP.)  Their brilliance is debatable and pretty damn intrusive when we take history into account.  Who knew EULA’s (end user license agreements) were going to strip us of all rights to our images, data, contacts? They are such tiny print with a zillion words, that in our zeal to get on to the use of whatever software or app we wanted, we just surrendered. I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing but Big Tech sold us out. The airlines (and govt) have had our images well beyond DMV scope for decades now. Guess most of us didn’t think to correlate the vast wealth Silicon Valley Tech firms amassed, with its source: their (in retrospect) ignorant unsuspecting customers.  I’m PO’d that I didn’t awaken to this sooner after singing their praises in two books.   

Anyway, here is what this post is really about: While waiting for my car’s entertainment center to sync with contacts I often think I should purge the number of contacts in my phone so, syncing would be faster.   Most of us have contacts we no longer see, or no longer like, or people who have moved away and we don’t keep in touch anymore.  The entries for these contacts are pretty easy to delete.

However, this idea had me scrolling through contacts on my phone recently and I was saddened and humbled to come upon several people I have known who no longer walk this earth with me.  Family, friends, acquaintances I now miss but, in reality: I can’t call them; I can’t text them nor can I send them an email.   

Why is it so damn difficult to choose “delete” with those contacts we have lost in this lifetime?  I’ve figured out that for me, it feels disloyal – it feels as if I’m writing them off for good – as if I could truly forget them!?!  Not a chance. Personally, I believe I will one day be reunited with all those I’ve lost in this life– including the many furballs I’ve been blessed to share my life with.   

So, I did clear out a few entries: people who come into your life for a reason, or a season.  I was able to hit delete confidently with them.  Maybe even heartlessly.

I still have contact info for brothers-in-law, parents, aunts, and friends that I won’t see again in this lifetime.  Despite my desire, I just haven’t been able to delete them from my phone any more than I could delete them from my memories.

I just miss them and seeing their name(s) now & then usually brings a smile to my lips as I recall a conversation, a joke shared, or a special occasion we were able to spend together.

I guess waiting a bit for the Infotainment system to sync isn’t all THAT bad..