This is the phone I’ve owned for over 4 years. For the last 6 months it’s looked like this, though still operable. Some of my friends gasped at how proud I was to whip my phone out at conferences, Ariana Huffington saw my phone and without judgement she laughed and said “I remember having a phone something like that” this is the phone I made deals in, networked in, the phone in which I spoke to Elizabeth Gilbert on, organized LYC 2016 on, and remember typing sentences for the phone to speak for me when my tumor rendered me speechless, lastly it is the phone I used to look up my grades when I was sure I’d failed but inspite of brain surgery, left sides paralysis, aphasia, and severe pain learned that I was indeed on the deans list. What I’m trying to impress upon you is this, the reason I didn’t upgrade to a shiny new phone (until now) was because this phone reminds me of lessons I've learned, one being don’t hide the messiness of the startup to your come up. Furthermore “never let how something looks fool you” additionally the greatest times of our lives are after what looks like the end, but we hold on and learn not to let others count us out just because of appearances. We know if we’ve lived and LEARNED long enough that behind the scenes, under the screen, within the inner workings there is a strong pulsing resilience that says don’t let my “cracks” fool you, a heart still beats here. So though this lesson is larger than a cracked, taped, life weathered phone. The lesson still stands So I say all this in gratitude for my journey of cervical and brain tumors, homelessness, abuse, etc. That God, life, the creator, the great ineffable one, doesn’t turn us in when we are broken, cracked, ugly, scared and/or at our wits end. I’m grateful that the Great Spirit doesn’t trade us in when we are less shiny than those who are new at life and have the luxury of a shiny naiveté, God knows that we are the most valuable recyclables, and labels none of us garbage. What a lesson in wisdom it is to know not to cast others to the side just because of their beginning, their looks, their abilities or understandings. I instead let them/it choose when their done! And even then there’s one more minute, one more heart beat!