I'm proud that even without a case (those get in the way of how a phone is supposed to feel), I only have minor scratches.
Also, my battery life is still holding strong. And as the Apple employee kindly reminded me, if my battery does deteriorate, I can replace it with a new one for just $49.
Further, even with improvements to the newer cameras in the XR and XS, I still stick by the quality of shots I'm able to capture with my 2.5-year-old "clunker."
I'm not sure what it'll take for me to finally upgrade from my 7 Plus — maybe if those intermittent app crashes become more consistent or god forbid, my AirPods can't connect.
But for now, I'll happily continue to be in upgrade limo and a poster boy for Apple's current iPhone problem.