How’s your summer been? Bumpy, right? Between inflation, residual COVID, tangled travel plans thanks to an overwhelmed airline industry, a cruel war that drags on, and crippling heat, it hasn’t been all fun and games. The mood is as heavy as the air.
I get it. I was coping with shoulder surgery on one side, a broken wrist on the other, and a dog whose health was rapidly declining back in May. Between one thing and another, my already thin social life was reduced to few encounters unless they were sparked by an Instacart delivery.
Then I bought an Apple Watch.
I know; it’s a watch with a lot of stuff I don’t need. Although having a phone you don’t have to remember to take because it’s already strapped to your wrist is pretty cool. Now I just have to remember to put in my earbuds so I’m not talking to my wrist or straining to hear the voice at the other end.
For the most part, the watch mimics the phone, even if you’re not carrying the phone. I like seeing the time, the date and the weather right up front. If you’re using your iPhone to navigate, the watch will display the map as well. Not only that, when SIRI tells you to, say, take a right, the watch will make the sound of a turn signal. The first time I heard that, I laughed out loud.
It’s very freeing to be able to walk and keep my hands by my side, swing them freely, or furtively check my inbox for messages, which it reports with a discreet ding that doesn’t sound like marimbas or chimes.
I can’t take pictures, although I have no doubt that’s coming. Anyone remember when that level of gadgetry was only available to a member of the CIA or MI6?
While I recover from various surgeries and injuries, a fitness program suitable for a twenty-something may not be appropriate. That’s why I didn’t sign up for Apple Fitness. However, I did set up a basic health profile and some modest goals, including a lot of walking. Inside of nagging me, the watch cheers me on with, exhorting me to “keep it going” or applauding me for meeting or exceeding my target number of steps or minutes or calories or what have you. It reminds me to rise out of my chair, a task I’d previously relegated to an hourglass I kept at my desk until I accidentally broke it one day.
My watch urges me to reflect at the beginning and end of the day. It’s big on deep breathing. I’m offered a light show, but honestly, I find the color choices a bit unnerving. I’d prefer to close my eyes.
Somehow the Apple Watch acts as guru, guide, motivator, and minder. Yes, it’s a tool and a toy. Okay, it’s collecting and using a lot of data about me and my preferences. No, it can’t replace my human buddies. It’s simply a nice addition.
Excuse me, I’m told I need to stand now.