A few months ago, I started getting texts from Verizon, my carrier for mobile services.

They wanted to notify me that the iPhone 5S that I’ve been using just shy of forever will not be supported past the end of 2019. They intended to only support devices that were compatible with 5G technology on their network.

I’ve never been eager to adopt new technology and definitely was not interested in upgrading here when, except for additional battery life, I couldn’t think of any features I HAD TO HAVE.

Knowing that I have often resisted making changes in the past only to discover I was happy with the new normal once I got past a period of strangeness, I made arrangements for my twenty-two year-old niece to meet me at the Apple Store and give me a tour of my options.

I knew I could have looked at Androids, but I figured that going to a more recent iPhone was enough change at one time for me.

My niece, an avowed Apple fan, respected my wishes not to even look at the 11s (which, as I understand it, will be replaced by 12s in only a few short months).

She steered me to look at the 8s and 8 Pluses. She made things very simple for me.

“The 8 can fit into your pocket, which can be nice.” Then she added “And the 8 Plus is bigger. Maybe it would be easier for you to use for texting. And it has an incredible camera.”

She picked up an 8 Plus, which was on display and, well-practiced in taking selfies and small group shots, started taking pictures of me and other nearby customers.

I must say, the photos were especially crisp considering they were quickly snapped. The Apple store clerk, a twenty-something with a very friendly smile, who also happened to be blind (good for Apple!) gave us a little explanation of the dual-lens camera.

“Get the Plus,” Emma advised. “You’ll use the camera for your blog.”

I decided to lease the 8 Plus from Verizon. I bought a screen cover and new case within the week.

The other night, I started playing, experimenting, with the camera, taking pictures of little objects in my condo like…

…my swizzle stick collection and the opium pipe I brought back from the Great Wall of China when I was there in 1981 (bought from a local, far away from a government-sanctioned friendship store for only seven yuan!).

And then, my eyes focused on my new year blocks. For greeting the new year in 2008, I believe, a friend had me come over to spend the afternoon with her doing an art project and visioning experiment.

We cut out images from an obscenely large collection of magazines and glued favorites to the sides of unfinished square blocks we bought from Michael’s or some other craft store.

I guess the purpose was akin to doing a treasure map or dream collage, to make a wish you have for yourself more concrete. Yet, there was something about displaying these images on different sides of a block, in three dimensions, instead of on a flat piece of white cardboard, which made them extra fun to put together.

I made two blocks. One featured travel images like the Eiffel Tower, a hot air balloon, a winding river, and a young girl gripping the handle of an old-fashioned suitcase.

The other block featured images that sort of represented my psyche. On one side, I glued the image of a coral-colored rose unfolding. On another side, I glued the image of a young woman stepping up on her toes, and an another side, I placed the image of a woman coming out of the shadows.

My favorite image on the block, one which I have looked for online for years, but have never been able to find, was a black and white photo of actress Sophia Loren, in her prime, smoking a cigarette and looking at herself in the mirror.

She was laughing so COMPLETELY.

I don’t know if she was amused by her own FABULOUS-ness or by remembering herself as a poor girl from Naples, or both, but I fell in love with this image.

When I took a photo of my BECOMING BLOCK with the dual-lens camera inside my new phone, I was able to capture her expression of amusement and self-acceptance along with the images on the other five sides of the cube, where the theme was clearly about stepping into the light.

I was so happy to be able to remember and re-experience my initial discovery of the image and the fact that I’ve had this little memento for over a decade.

November is the month of Thanksgiving. It is also my birthday month.

I was so happy that I kicked it off by upgrading my smart phone with a newer model featuring a dual-lens camera. Being ready to take pictures with a better camera reflects my attitude about my gratitude practice. I really want to be able to take good photographs of little things that generate big appreciation in me.

Clearly capturing an affecting moment with a new camera stirs up my sense of appreciation. It’s not that the fancy camera makes objects and people more alive, but the clarity and crispness with which I can see and hold these moments make me feel more alive.

Getting a new camera, and being able to use it to more fully appreciate the special qualities of things I may see every day is no small thing.