A test. We all receive them. My most recent came this past week.
I returned from my travels to the confirmation I feared. My hard drive was corrupt; data unsalvageable. Yes, I back up occasionally, but my most recent drafts, chapters and some photographs would be lost. Not easy to swallow.
iPhone in Recovery Mode
Then I tried to connect my iPhone to my repaired laptop, but it didn’t recognize the device. After a new install of iTunes somehow my iPhone went into a “Recovery Mode,” and needed a reinstall. What happened? No, please not again?
I immediately set up an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for a consultation. I needed to go to the lab, I wanted the best chance.
There in person, I learned the news. I needed to restore the iPhone and all media would be lost. All media. No other solution (from Apple). More than 600 photos. F.
First the hard drive, now the iPhone. Certainly, I chose Apple because of its creative vibe, but I also selected the products because they worked. Apparently, I owned a sour apple. And I was very sour.
In fact, because of my mood, I decided to walk home in the rain. I needed it. I needed to think, to unwind. I needed to come to grips with the situation.
On that walk, I started pondering my lessons learned.
–Listen to your Mother. Ah, you always come back to this one, but truthfully, she constantly told me to “Craig, make sure you backup your work.” After transitioning careers and becoming a writer, she wanted to make sure I didn’t lose any of my work. I did back up my files, but not often enough. I will now.
–Organize your Photos. I normally just downloaded photos (especially pre Mac) into random folders with haste and placed a few favorites on the desktop for easy access. Now, after years, I am not sure what I have? Or even exactly which photos are properly backed up? I always thought to organize better. I will now.
a completed sand mandala
-Let go. You can’t take it with you. No, I can’t. None of us can. And recently I viewed pictures of a Tibetan Monk Mandala ceremony. I don’t view my lost work in the same way, but I do need to learn the same lesson – letting go of what I created. It’s gone.
Continuing on my walk, I stopped for a moment. I grabbed my journal and a pen to write down what I believed a brilliant sentence for a future story. I do this often, but this time standing there, under the cover of New York City scaffolding, I learned another lesson. Perspective.
Right at my feet, slept a homeless man. I opened my wallet, pulled out a bill and softly placed it in the cup.
By the time I arrived home I changed my attitude (and my wet clothes). No I didn’t give up on my data. I certainly used google to find methods to recover my iPhone without an official restore. Pushing buttons in sequences and downloading files but so far nothing seems successful. So, I decided to put it down for the day and ask a few Apple experts before I restore tomorrow. (Any advice, please leave a comment)
And, now slowly, I am becoming more and more ok with my new situation. This was and is a test. So this Sunset Sunday might mark the end of daylight for some of my files or photos, but not to the Stay Adventurous mission. No sir.
And to reverse the flow, this week I decided to leave you with a picture of a “Sunday Sunrise.” I took this photo during my days at the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica in Los Cabos. Also, next week, I’ll return to the “Sunset Sunday“and definitely stay tuned for other published work (via twitter) and a new blog post.
the sun rises at Pueblo Bonita Pacifica...
Stay Adventurous, Craig
