Why I (Almost) Said Goodbye to My Smartphone

We moved, again. No, we aren’t PCSing, at least not anytime soon. This move was a surprise move due to a landlord issue, and it only took us about half a mile from our previous home.

I’m not mad. I’ll forget all about having to pack my own household goods, renting the U-haul, trying to lift crazy heavy furniture and wiggle it through doors (even having to take doors off the hinges), and finally unpacking it all.

Yep, I’ll forget all that.

Want to know why?

Because in that whole process, my husband found this:

I know, you’re looking at it and thinking, “what is this strange contraption?” I’m sure most of you know what this is (although I doubt many have used one in the past 5-10 years). At least we hadn’t used one in the past five years.

You see, smartphones came along and took the place of all of these. I remember when my husband and I first got married, we used this baby frequently, pulling it out at all special occasions, and getting everyone to give a little word or two of wisdom for our later enjoyment. It was my faithful sidekick when my first child was born. Then we broke down and got (much smaller) smartphones, where I tried to convince myself that pictures of my kids were just as good (and much easier) than videos of them. My memory card was filled over the years with their still-framed achievements, and the gargantuan electronic device was shoved in a moving box and never unpacked, just carried from station to new station.

I committed to unpack every single box after this move, and this baby came back into my memory.

My husband had it quickly hooked up to our TV and started playing the memories that each tape held. Our entire family was pulled into the living room by the sounds, and we ended up spread out, laughing and reminiscing about the times we captured.

Some of my favorites were the laughter of my son as he tried to figure out just how that video recorder worked, the sweet sound of him saying “mama” over and over again, the video of him and his first sister getting to know each other shortly after she was born, and then the voice of my husband’s dad, who had passed away shortly after my son was born.

It was during the three hours that we laughed, and cried, together that I realized how important this video camera really was. Sure, those pictures on my smartphone would forever be cherished, but they would never speak to me. I’d never hear the sound of laughter or pride in a job well done. I vowed that while I would still take pictures with the phone, my videos would only be captured on tape that I could watch again and again.

Yes, I know the smartphones record video as well, and I’ve used it for such, but it doesn’t provide the crisp picture and quality sound of the good, old, bulky video cameras.

So, stare if you must, when you see me whip this bad boy out and start the ritual of turning it on, zooming in, and watching the events through a flip screen, know that when I sit in front of my TV in five years and re-watch the recorded day, it will bring me great joy.

Technology has evolved, becoming more convenient, but that convenience has come with a price, for me. I don’t have the videos of my second daughter that I would have liked to see. I don’t have birthday videos or messy summertime treat videos.  I will from this time forward. I’m recording something every weekend, until the tapes are full.

I’ll keep my smartphone for calls and surfing the internet occasionally. From here on out, though, I’m saying goodbye to its video capabilities.

Do you still use a video camera? Or are you a smart phone recorder all the way? Have you found anything especially sentimental during a move?