Remember when T9 was all the hype in cell phone technology? I remember how cool I felt in middle school: moving my thumbs as quickly as if I was playing GoldenEye and knowing exactly which three letters belonged to which number without even looking. Most pre-teens and teens my age felt pretty much the same way. Isn't it weird to think that the newest generation of cell phone users won't get the same experience? As cell phones made the gradual switch to qwerty keyboards and touch screens, I remember wondering if my thumbs would be able to transition as well. I felt that there was no way a tiny qwerty keyboard could beat my T9 techniques and that I'd never want to switch. Yet now that I've finally made this transition, I can't help but admit that I don't ever want to go back. The full keyboard has been tremendously helpful, doing away with some of T9's flaws, like multiple words that had the same key pattern or inaccurate predictive texting. One of my friends, S, constantly has trouble with her predictive texting. Whether it's texts like "I'm saving tomorrow for din [fun] things" or "You're a genupus! [genius]," the prediction tool just doesn't seem to be her friend. Qwerty, in my opinion, has simply taken over.

This, though, extends to many aspects of life. The grass, my friend, does not always look greener on the other side if getting to the other side involves climbing a hill. People can often be extremely hesitant towards new things, especially when they involve a change from what they are accustomed to. The changed product often seems worse. Sometimes, the change can involve the slightest push or shove, like trying out a Qwerty keyboard, and within days, you have a new product you are accustomed to. This new product, in some cases, can be even better than the original.

Yet it's not just new products or texting techniques. As I move on to my next year of college, I started out the summer incredibly worried. With some of my best friends going abroad and some of the most awesome people I've ever met graduating, I found myself with two options: 1) Wallow through my next year of college with little care and no hope of fun or 2) Embrace the change of lifestyle, open myself to new friends, and remain connected to my other friends online. Yes, the change will take some effort and it's certainly going to be a different year. But, hey, who knows? With that little bit of effort and by welcoming the change, I could make my next year of college a qwerty keyboard, moving forward from an already incredibly amazing two T9 years.

Bottom line: Put in the extra work to embrace the change. You'll often find it's more than worth it =)