I have a love-hate relationship with my phone.

On the one hand, it provides me with so much information, instant access to email, social media and the ability to call any friend on my contact list, without having to memorize numbers, or call 411-directory assistance (remember that?). In short, my phone is a lifesaver.

But on the other hand, it’s a virus. A phone-a-virus, if you will. I’ve tried for the longest time to clean up my act regarding the phone. We all have. I try to curtail my use of the phone with various methods that we all know to help. It takes discipline. Lots of it.

All this because the phone is a dangerous thing. It’s dangerous when used in a car while driving, it’s hurtful to relationships when not being present when having a conversation in person. Also, a time waster, it’s a vehicle for talking gossip with friends either by voice or by social media. It’s a time sucker, an addiction as we scroll endlessly through social media because in this day and age, we know how knowledge is power. But too much knowledge is not such a good thing.

We kind of view our phone as a virus – an epidemic of sorts, where its use needs cleaning up, tightening up, and fine-tuning. Using the good parts that we love, and avoiding the bad parts of it – the parts that we hate, the parts that cause us problems.

And what better time than to come clean with our phone habit (speaking to myself here!), then during this era of the corona-virus pandemic?

But no one has told us to stay off our computer, stop listening to the radio, and (gasp), throw away our phone.

The latest instruction we’ve received from the experts about the corona-virus is to limit our large parties , our social or educational gatherings. To engage in social isolation. Schools are closing, distance learning and Skype are being advocated, and people are urged to stay home.

Yes, we’re told to keep our phones clean, we’re informed that our phones carry more germs than a toilet bowl. And contrary to the old rule that we are not to use any liquid soap or alcohol on our phone, the latest research tells us that we are to clean our phones using those strong products (if we can find said products on the empty shelves of stores).

DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES

But, now’s the time to take out that phone and call a good friend, Offer support to those who are more panicked or worried than you are. Or offer some reality checks to a friend who is still in the denial and cynical stage. Or just offer a listening ear.

Use the phone to share funny memes on WhatsApp. Use it to have a long conversation with a friend whom you haven’t spoken to in awhile.

See what it feels like to actually continue a phone call with someone whom you called without responding to the call-waiting that is beckoning you to pick up. It’s rude to do that (unless it’s an emergency to pick up the other line, in which case you should warn your friend that you might be interrupted.).

You see, proper use of the phone, in order to avoid “phone-a-virus” requires etiquette. Or just plain kindness and thoughtfulness.

So maybe in these times, when we don’t have the luxury of going out to view someone face to face in person, or we don’t have the pleasure of a large gathering, maybe we have the opportunity to clean up our phone habits.

In the olden days (I’m dating myself here), there was an advertisement for long distance phone service. It was, “Long distance: The next best thing to being there.”

Other ads went as such: “Reach out and touch someone.”

And now, in these times of the corona-virus, let’s use those slogans and obliterate the phone-a-virus by reaching out to touch someone else’s heart with cleaner, tidier, and saner use of the phone.

Let’s use the phone in ways that don’t sully relationships, but keep them clean with love, trust and friendship.

Let’s put away our phones when speaking to a loved one, let’s pick up our phone to comfort someone in the right time. Let’s hang up the phone before the gossip starts, and let’s never use the phone in the car to text or email or anything else.

The phone-a-virus rules – just like those rules surrounding the corona-virus – may be confusing and difficult.

But they’re really worth it, when considering the value of our relationships.