I have a friend, let's call her Lizzie G, who shared a story that represents the depths people will go to retrieve their smartphones. Lizzie was on a commercial airline flight from Dallas, Texas to Minneapolis, Minnesota when she heeded the call of nature and used the shoe closet they call a bathroom in Coach. This, however, was not to be your typical visit to a bathroom at a cruising altitude of 23,000 feet.
As Lizzie lifted herself off the seat in the cramped bathroom, her smartphone slipped from her back pocket and fell into the commode. Panic set in instantly. One flip of the lever and her phone (no, her life) would be jettisoned while in the middle of the friendly skies over Kansas City. Not to be deterred, and determined not to lose her phone, she discussed her options with the nearest flight attendant.
She was told, not surprisingly, that this was not the first time this has happened. The attendant mentioned that she had the paper-thin plastic gloves she used for serving drinks and snacks that Lizzie could use if she wanted to try and fish her phone from the toilet. After some soul searching and discussion with the flight attendant and several passengers, Lizzie steeled herself for what was ahead.
I will spare you the sordid details of digging with a thinly veiled hand in the toilet of a commercial airliner, but suffice it to say she did retrieve her phone (and life) from the toilet of flight # 4724 from Dallas, TX to Minneapolis, MN. Word quickly circulated about her plight and she emerged from the bathroom to a resounding round of applause. Everyone was also more than happy to let her have her own row of seats for the remainder of the flight.
More stories like this can be found in my new book: Too Much of a Good Thing: Are You Addicted To Your Smartphone?