You forgot your cell phone? As we meandered down the rural Virginia highway, I was incredulous. My college roommate was nonchalant.

Oh, it’ll be fine, she replied in her easy way. In fact, sometimes she left her cell phone behind on purpose, she said. Just to get away from everything and enjoy life for a few hours.

Wow, what I great idea, I admitted. But I didn’t think I could ever be so disciplined — or so free. And that was before I had an iPhone. I was a college freshman who meant business, and everyone who saw me whip out my Blackberry Curve knew it.

If I was attached to my Blackberry then, I’m practically one flesh with my iPhone now. The smartphone that hit stores exactly 10 years ago has revolutionized the way we do life.

All Our Useful Gadgets Replaced With One Device

Why are we so attached to the iPhone (and its competitors, like Android)? Partly because it’s so useful. After all, the iPhone and the advanced apps it welcomed have replaced hundreds if not thousands of everyday gadgets and goings-on. 

The other night our electricity went out. This time, I didn’t bother to reset the time on the digital alarm clock on my window sill. My iPhone alarm is the one I truly depend on — the one I double-check before drifting off, and smack several times in the morning as I snooze. 

With an iPhone, a charger and some data, we can survive an entire day. 

As a kid I’d ask my dad the weather forecast for the day. He’d check his thermometer by the window and sometimes the radio by his bed. Now, it takes about three seconds to summon my iPhone’s weather app as I get dressed.

My dad also used to carry an atlas everywhere (he probably still does). Once we got internet, Mom would print step-by-step driving instructions from MapQuest. By the time I left for college, I had a Garmin GPS mounted to my dashboard. Today, I simply ask Siri how to get to the nearest Chipotle. I needn’t even glance down. 

It’s the same with countless other things. I don’t buy CDs because all the music I could want is accessible through my iPhone. I don’t drive to the bank to deposit a check because I can deposit it through the bank’s mobile app. I rarely buy actual books because I listen to them via my iPhone’s Audible app. I use my iPhone to find recipes, count steps and calories, make lists and appointments, and search the internet. Want to check if something’s level? Tune a guitar? Watch Netflix? Play a game? iPhone, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone.

Balancing the Blessing

iPhones have become our constant companion. With a charger and some data, we can survive an entire day with a single device snugged in our back pocket. 

It’s easy to take this now-commonplace device for granted. In fact, it’s tempting to harp on all its downsides. And they’re worth considering. For instance, we’ve become so addicted to smartphones that it’s hurting everything from our sleep to our relationships. Kids are growing up with screens at their fingertips, which can cause developmental problems. Constant access to social media may be contributing to depression and anxiety in teens.

But as they’ve been saying for centuries, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. The iPhone is the brilliant product of human ingenuity. It has made our world endlessly more convenient and connected. It’s a blessing.

But even blessings — well, material ones anyway — need balance.

Take a Break

About once a year my husband and I take a trip to the middle of nowhere. Literally. Cell service drops to nonexistent. And it’s wonderful.

Periodically going without something you often use is a good exercise. It prevents us from getting too attached or addicted to a material blessing.

Amid the dirt roads, old trucks, farm chores and family, the device that was once a survival tool becomes lead in the pocket. It’s good for snapping a few pictures. But then it’s turned off and tucked away. We may use it as an alarm clock in the morning. Or maybe we’ll let the Midwestern sunrise do that. It’s our own version of my college roommate’s healthy habit of leaving her cell phone behind, on purpose.   

Periodically going without something you often use is a good exercise. It prevents us from getting too attached or addicted to a material blessing. It reminds us what’s luxury and what’s necessity.

The iPhone is a luxury. A useful one, a helpful one, an important one we should be ever so grateful for — but a luxury all the same. Taking an occasional break from all the stressful aspects of life it carries inside? Now that’s a necessity.

So go ahead. Deposit that check or order that take-out. Then set your iPhone down. On its anniversary, let it rest.