Does anyone have a cell phone charger?

Remember what everyday life was like before we heard of a place in China called Wuhan? A time when, Costco had plenty of paper goods. The airports bustled. As travelers, our worst fear was a weather delay on flights for which we’d overpaid months earlier. Few of us obsessed over hand sanitizer and latex gloves. Most of us looked askance, not enviously, at the stray individual wearing a face mask. It’s a time for which we all long for a speedy return.

Three months ago, the term Covid-19 had not yet been coined. It was mid-December and the big news story was New Year’s Eve and the sparkling new decade ahead. The frenetic pace of the holidays presented us with different struggles than we have now. After spending the afternoon preparing appetizers or running to the mall for a last-minute gift, we greeted guests with a mug of eggnog or a flute of champagne. Those of us in airports over the holidays had gifts in our suitcases, ones which we hadn’t worried about wiping down or spraying with Lysol. Given the current crises, I laugh at myself as I pen these next words.  Outside of feeding and gifting my family, my biggest dilemma at Christmastime was how to keep my spouse and adult children from snatching my cell phone chargers. 

For the last fifteen years, we’ve travelled to Montana in December. Big Sky is a remote destination. There are a few mom-and-pop groceries, a handful of decent restaurants, and a hardware store, but you won’t find a dry cleaner or a car wash. So, every year when we head out West, I over pack.  Besides extra socks and thermal underwear, I layer my bag with gadgets galore.  Scissors, tape, hooks for the Xmas tree, treasured ornaments so the tree looks homey, wine openers, a small sewing kit, and packets of foot warmers.  My family counts on me for the miscellany stuffed in my suitcase and purse. This year, I realized my tendency to over prepare only enabled my family’s forgetfulness. 

When we arrived at the log cabin, I plugged my iPad into one of my chargers in the bedroom. The second one, I brought to the kitchen with my phone.  During our first night cooking in, I watched my daughter unplug my phone and move both to an outlet by the sofa.  When we turned on Netflix, the long white cord which I responsibly toted from Chicago was plugged into her cell phone, not mine.  “I forgot mine,” she said with a sweet smile.  I responded, “I guess we can share.” When the movie was over, I carried my cell phone to the bedroom.  There, I discovered that my iPad was untethered, and in its place was my husband’s cell phone. 

The second day of our family vacation began with the same steal-mom’s-chargers routine. For me, the spirit of Christmas was being obliterated by the charger swapping mess. All of us being addicted to our devices wasn’t the issue. The mountains are prone to hostile weather, and my kids are adventurous skiers. For my family’s safety, we needed accessible, well-charged phones. The nearest spot to purchase USB cords meant a three-hour roundtrip drive on a two-lane canyon road. Online ordering was the obvious solution. 

We struggled for a few days, but eventually I equipped the log home with several docking stations and enough USB cords to charge a football team. The ease with which we got up and running became integral to the success of our family vacation. Connectivity and a reliable supply chain were the answer to our family’s dilemma during the holidays.  Those same two factors play a significant role now as the country hunkers down to address what lies ahead. 

I wish that our nation could have been in a better place to deal with this pandemic.  What we lack regarding medical supplies and preparedness is more serious than not having enough cell phone chargers.  It’s easy to regret what one doesn’t have. Yet, we have no other option than to make do.  As I think about this, I don’t believe we’re ever as ready as a situation requires.  It may be as simple as this: We cannot expect to be adequately prepared, if we are blind to the choices of others. 

Stay well, neighbors and friends. 

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