THE ANTI-UPGRADE

Photo by Alexa Seidl.

Trey's outfit is Gray Label.

In the last three weeks I've made countless trips to the Apple store and have trialed three different phones including the iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8, and the iPhone 6, which all started because the battery on my iPhone 6 stopped working a few weeks ago.

Initially, I thought I wanted to upgrade, but after having the newer phones for a little bit I decided I didn't like either. The 8 Plus felt too big in my back pocket and wasn't easy to navigate with one hand, and the 8 felt too similar to my old 6 that it seemed silly to upgrade and pay that much money for something that could be working again with an easy fix.

Luckily, I hadn't erased or traded in my old broken phone yet, so I just went back in and explained I just wanted to fix the battery on my old phone instead. I'm so happy with the change to my old, trusty, (now working) phone.

Just because everyone else is upgrading doesn't mean you have to. There is no race. We don't need to keep up or keep score. Especially during a season of so much change for our family, I'm so glad to have gone back to something that feels so comfortable, like an old sweater or a favorite dinner. I was almost blindsided for a second there by the newer, shinier, things, and well-meaning salespeople. But then I realized that I was in charge of this decision, and I had the power to change the situation, even for something that felt backwards to many people. It goes back to my motherhood mantra: you do what's right for you and your family and you don't worry about what anyone else is doing. Stay in your lane. Keep your old phone. Or don't. That's just it - you can do whatever works for you.