My Wife or My iPhone?

I just called my iPhone "baby" and told it that I loved it.

Either I'm sick... Or I'm honest...

But either way, I really don't know how I'd get by without it.

And I don't think I'm alone.

I've been an early adopter of smart phone technology having owned an iPhone since 2007 (thanks to my old company for purchasing the first one for me!). However, I am NOT one of the crazy people that waits in line for every new iteration and Apple product -- hell, I don't even own an iPad yet!

Now that that's outta the way...

This miraculous little mobile device offers so many things that it makes me wonder, how did we get by without them? In fact, I had a random thought this morning around which I depend on more, my wife or my iPhone? Obviously, that's tongue in cheek, but it's not as crazy as you might think.

A smart phone can't do many of the most important things that a spouse provides like companionship, child care, and of course, benefits...

But in terms of telling me where and when I need to go, how to get there, keeping me updated on friends and family, connected to work, entertained, aware of the weather, and when important dates are approaching, this handy little device does a pretty damn good job. It also doesn't nag (except I guess Siri can be annoying sometimes)... And with the amount of travel that I do, it's the most critical component in regards to keeping me connected to home.

But is this relationship with my phone unhealthy? Is it ultimately going to leave me broken hearted and unfulfilled? Should my wife be worried?

If you'd ask a professional, the answer would most certainly be yes. However, I'm just a blogger sharing my thoughts, so I can assure you that no research was performed in the making of this post.

But here the thing -- I think most of us truly believe that our phones make us better people, and I think that's why I'm so fond of it. Hear me out.

Without my phone:

• I probably wouldn't have known that a good friend of mine just got a promotion or closed a big deal.
• Would I be able to Like pictures of my friend's children and wish people that I haven't talked to in years happy birthday?
• Would I remember people's birthdays (I couldn't before I had an alert telling me so)?
• Could I calm my kids down at the doctor's office while waiting by letting them watch cartoons?

Of course I could do many of these things on my laptop, but that requires significantly more work and is much more inconvenient. My phone helps me support and stay connected to others in a way that no other technology can. I wasn't a bad person before my phone, but I do feel that I am much more socially responsible because of it.

But, I guess what I want to know, is am I the only one that feels this way? I don't think I am. I think many of us view our phones as an extension of ourselves and utilize it several hours a day in a healthy and productive manner. Like Spiderman says, "with great power comes great responsibility", so it's important to put your phone down and enjoy life. However, there are few things in life short of my family and maybe my house and car, that would alter life as much if it went away.

In short, I'm trying to defend this as a healthy obsession, so bear with me... Mobile technologies are only going to evolve from here, so it's not like I can quit this like a cigarette. It's going to continue to make life easier and easier, and keep us more connected then ever. These are good things and should be embraced. Right?

And if I was forced to choose, I'd still probably choose my wife, but I'd miss the hell out of my phone...

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