I had a major revelation during a nightmare car rental experience. After many years with a smartphone, I finally made the switch and have been using a flip phone that has no email for many months. The switch was life-altering and difficult, but my life has changed for the better in so many ways that it was worth the trouble.

Over the past bunch of months, I have seen so many Hashgacha Pratis (Divine Providence) stories with my phone, how everything worked out in such smooth ways even when it shouldn’t have. So many times, I have felt the Divine pat on the back, showing me that the effort was worth it to make that switch.

Then I showed up at the car rental shop and experienced a painfully long process, made extremely difficult because of my lack of email on my phone. I was sweating profusely, chasing an overtired child, and desperately trying to iron out the issues without the information I needed at my fingertips. I called my sister, and she got me the information I needed off my email, and I was finally able to complete the car rental process.

As I was standing there, out of breath, I frustratingly wondered where my Divine pat on the back was, miraculously easing my experience, even though I lacked a smartphone. Then I realized something monumental. Yes, my choice to live without a smartphone made certain things more difficult and complicated at times, but the benefits of my switch far outweighed the trouble. If I thought realistically, I acknowledged that having less access to technology was more challenging, it was still worth the trouble.

From Text Triumphs, a Bi-Weekly TAG Baltimore Column in Baltimore Jewish Home