Yesterday I wrote about independence. Today, I have something for you about dependence. This post was written in October 2011. I wrote it in draft form but got lazy blogger syndrome before editing and publishing it. Today I polished it up but left the original details in so it reads like I wrote it 9 months ago. I call it a “retro read.”

Original title: I updated to iOS5…and learned something about myself.

I was really excited for Wednesday to arrive. The new software update from Apple would finally be available. I had been slightly drooling over the new features and I was genuinely excited while waiting for the appointed hour to arrive when I could plug my beloved iPod Touch into our MacBook and let the update begin. Everything went along swimmingly at first.

What happened next I’ll never know for sure, but there was an error of some kind. A window opened informing me that apps couldn’t be loaded and I needed to restore my device completely. I took a small gulp but didn’t feel worried as I hit OK (as if there was another choice.) A few minutes later it was done updating but my heart sank to the floor as I looked at my iPod Touch to see only the icons for the factory installed apps.

I then looked at the apps screen on my computer to find there was nothing there either! I wasn’t worried about stuff like Angry Birds because that was no big deal and easily reinstalled, but I was pretty worried about stuff I had stored in apps like 1Password. Once I started breathing normally again I managed to locate the section of iTunes listing all my apps. I was able to put everything back on my iPod AND all my apps still contained all their information. Whew.

What this whole scenario made me realize is that I’m more dependent on my iPod Touch than I thought I was. I knew I loved using it and having it for information and entertainment but I felt slightly panicked for a while when I thought all that stuff was lost. After all, I had done a lot of work setting all that stuff up and typing in all that information. Plus, some of that information exists ONLY in the apps, nowhere else! I shouldn’t have to feel panicked about an electronic device but I couldn’t help it. Thankfully, Apple and other app developers think about dolts like me that have all that valuable data on their devices and build in a few safeguards.

Dependence. We depend on people and things in our lives and more often than not they come through for us. We depend on co-workers to do their jobs so that we can do ours. We depend on our cars to get us places and more often than not they deliver. It’s okay to depend on electronic devices so long as we realize that they aren’t infallible. People aren’t infallible either. I don’t think there’s a realistic way to not have some dependencies. What you can control though is the way you react to those possible failings. It’s important that you have a backup plan to deal with these situations when they arise. I now know that if my iPod drops and breaks or fails in a software update that my data is secure. I also know that if something happens at work that there are backups in place. People are cross trained in a few jobs to cover those instances where someone calls in sick or is otherwise delayed. My car is running properly right now but I have a AAA membership as a backup plan that I can depend on for towing or help. I also can depend on my wife and other family members to help me out should the car die or be involved in an accident.

Do you have backups in place? Have you given thought to what parts of your life may need an action plan in case of a failure? Maybe it’s time to identify your dependencies and establish plans of action that you can put in place. When you accomplish these things you then create independence to live the life you want with few interruptions.