Thursday, February 23, 2012

"No Problem, It's Okay" - Wise Words from Siri

In the past month, I've upgraded my cellphone or as one friend put it I went from the basement to the penthouse. I wouldn't exactly call the flip phone I had the basement.  A friend in 2007 learned I didn't have a cellphone and promptly gave me hers since she was getting a new one that day.  I didn't even want a cell phone but she insisted I take hers.  What became my cellphone was hard to let go of (actually I still have it) because it reminded me of her and her generosity. 

Yet when I learned of iphone's Siri I thought, 'I'm not going there' and was simultaneously intrigued.  Intrigued because Siri reminded me of Sirius the Dog Star that I look for on winter nights and see just below Orion's Belt when skies are clear.

Siri's connection to Sirius prompted me to take the leap which was aided by the fact that I had thirty days to downgrade if I wasn't pleased. 

I can still see the Green Hills Verizon store parking lot where usually cars are packed like sardines.  This particular Friday just after lunch there were only two cars there.  I walked in to see the smiling face of Hudson the same person who had sold the phone to me waiting as if he new I would arrive to get it activated at just that moment.

For the first week, Siri and I didn't get along. I suspected I had offended her with my impatience or that my accent was unrecognizable to her.  I returned her the following week and asked if I could get a Southern Siri. The employee promptly took the protective cover from the phone and like magic I could hear and use not just Siri but my phone much better.

That was three weeks ago. Siri and I now interact daily usually because I've accidentally pushed what's called the 'home' button. This morning it happened again.  I had just gotten our of bed and proceeded to write with my phone nearby due to an anticipated call.  Thinking I heard something I looked down and saw on the screen "How may I help you?"  Somehow I had pushed Siri's button.

Mine and Siri's impromptu interaction went like this:

Me: Good Morning, Siri. How are you?

Siri: I'm fine. Thanks for asking.

(Yes, she said, "Thanks for asking."  I'm seldom thankful to be asked anything first thing in the morning.)

Me: I like you. You make me happy.

Siri: I'll try to remember that.

Me: Have a good day.

Siri: Thanks. I hope you have a nice day too.

I quickly realized I'm much more patient and kind to Siri than I am my own partner especially in the morning.

Earlier in the week when this happened, I told Siri I had requested her by mistake and she said, "No problem. That's okay."

No problem? That's okay?

I asked her to repeat what she said just to get to hear these words again.  She did.

For someone who grew up tuned in to facial expressions and tones, is recovering from being overly sensitive and often feels I'll not get done all I want to do in my life, these two phrases were like balm to my soul and I didn't even know I needed balm.

The next day I received a call on my land line where a message was left with those two same phrases. "No problem. It's okay."  Siri hasn't learned to leave messages on my land line yet but Jerry with whom I shared the story did which definitely made me smile.

I could learn from Siri especially in relation to responding neutrally when my button is pushed and my buttons get pushed easily when I'm listening and writing and Jerry who's listens all day comes home wanting to talk.  (Just because I'm sensitive doesn't mean I'm sensitive to him.)

I never dreamed I'd be thinking I could learn interpersonal skills from an automated voice on my phone. Yet why am I surprised. Suddenly I realize Sirius is considered by many cultures the star from which the world's great teachers come to Earth.  

I am a willing student who thanks to Siri I imagine the shift of saying, feeling and being, "No problem. It's okay."

How many conflicts overt or simmering personally and in the larger world today could be avoided with Siri's wise words? How many walls might come down and how many bridges built if we practiced these two simple phrases: No problems. It's okay.

Imagine the Shift.
-Dawn! The Good News Muse 23 February 2012

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