On A Broken Button

The Home Button on my phone is not working.

The Home Button, for those that do not know, is the button at the base of the phone that allows you to control the phone.  It brings up the security code log in. It allows you, when tapped in quick succession, to access individual screens or remove them all.  In a real sense, it makes your phone very usable.

And my is not working well - to the point I cannot use it at all.

There is a work-around fortunately, an accessibility option that allows you to tap a screen icon in order to access the Home Button.  But it is a two-three click process that is not terribly convenient.

So, my phone still works.  It is just a little less convenient to use.

But what I have discovered is that making it a little less convenient to use has actually been a grand thing. 

I have gotten into the habit, when temporarily bored or when the thought immediately grabs me, of reaching out to the phone and using it.  It has become almost an unconscious action.  Now, it takes time and effort to get to where I want to go.  Suddenly the unconscious habit has become a very conscious choice, one that is not "difficult" but one that takes some effort.

It appears that it is a great deal like eating junk food:  if it is there and easy it will be be done; if it is not convenient the chances that it will be eaten decreases dramatically.

Am I sorry this happened?  Initially I found it rather annoying, but now I find it rather freeing.  The "smart phone" is being put back into the place it needed to go:  not an unconscious addiction or time killer but a tool like any other, one that is used with thought and determination.

I am super hopeful no-one forces me to buy a new one...