When the iPhone came out, I couldn’t have cared less.  I’m not a
 tech junkie, and was perfectly content with my basic flip phone that
 just made calls. But being married to Make It Work Senior AC, Ben Wilding, 
means that resistance to the latest technology is futile.

When my o
ld flip phone began its path towards inevitable demise, the stars al
igned, and I got a cheap deal on a new iPhone. I spent the first tw
o weeks in turmoil over the decision of whether or not to keep it, w
orrying about the cost and having trouble justifying it to myself. 
I understood in a vague sense that it was cool and useful, but the a
pplication to my simple lifestyle was hard to see.

Fast-forward six months, and I am now an iPhone convert, singing its
 praises, and using it to actually improve my life.

One day, I
 really wanted to go to a farmers’ market, but I didn’t know where
there was one. With the thought, “I bet there’s an app for
 that,” I typed “farmers market” into the search box in the App
store, downloaded the free app, Farmers’ Market Finder, and was at a 
 farmers’ market within five minutes of searching.

Without my iPhon
e, I never would have known that market was just down the street.

T
hen there’s the free app, LoseIt!, which I use to track my meals and
 exercise, keeping me honest and accountable in my quest to get heal
thy.
You may say that I could just use a pen and paper, but I have
 failed miserably with that method in the past. Besides, this app ha
s built-in calorie and nutrition info and helps me set goals.

I’m 
also loving SoundHound, which lets me hold the phone next to the rad
io or even just hum a tune myself, and in about five seconds, it tel
ls me the title, artist, and album, gives me song lyrics, links to Y
ouTube videos, and an option to launch a Pandora station based on th
at song. This little app is helping this musically-challenged knuck
lehead expand my playlist, and it’s giving me much-needed inspiratio
n for my guitar lessons.

My newest fav is the free Headache Relief
 Diary, which is helping me record and track my chronic headaches so
I can look for patterns and find relief.

But my favorite thing is that all of these apps (and others) are all 
in one place. Carrying this all-in-one gizmo makes it irrelevant
 that I’m too lazy, disorganized, and overwhelmed to do the things 
I’d never do without it. What excuses do I have when everything is
 in one place, right at my fingertips, and (mostly) free? The change 
in my motivation and productivity has finally shown me the light. 
I’ve gotta say, even though it’s kinda pricy, the change in my 
quality of life is worth every penny.

Plus, I think my tech-savvy husband thinks I’m way cooler now.

by Marissa Wilding

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