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It's Free...Until You Have to Pay

I resisted buying a new cell phone for a very long time. However I started to notice that other people were taking great pictures, surfing the net and sending emails with their new and improved phones. After six years with my tried and true friend I decided enough was enough. I bought a new phone. The pictures were incredible. I didn't want to pay the extra $35.00 for Internet service. My reasoning was I can do my email at work and at home. I resisted that part of the sales pitch.

One night while exploring my new cell. Right there, I saw it, "Free Site, CNN." Well that sure is nice I thought. Night after night I read the latest headlines and saw great pictures on this website. This went on for weeks. I was hooked. On a Friday night I went on the website like I always did and enjoyed the stories. The next morning I woke up and went to the website. However this time I read that I did not have access because web service was not in my plan. I was startled. I'd been reading this site for weeks. Then it dawned on me. I had bought into the company's marketing plan. I was shut out. I was directed to a site where I could subscribe to the site.

Free was the succulent bait. I'd been being enticed all along. Free was a relative term. All at once I understood temptation. It usually doesn't introduce itself as a trap. It makes one feel comfortable with no consequences. It appeals to what one likes anyway. For me, I like news. It got me comfortable. It was always there and very interesting. Then one day when it had become a habit it was time to pay.

I'm going to pay better attention to my spiritual life too. I'll be more aware of those little enticements that seem harmless and free. It's all free until it's time to pay.
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  1. Daphne JonesFebruary 18, 2010 at 12:47 PM

    That's good. I, like you, have had my cell phone several years. And I'm looking at all these smart phones that do everything. But I just don't want to pay that extra money for internet access to email. I figure I can check that at home and work. I really would like the iPhone. I think if I wait just a bit I may get it with a different carrier other than AT&T.

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