I still enjoy a good phone call every now and then. WAIT. Before you give me five or fifty reasons why you hate the phone and prefer to text, I get it. Texting is usually my preferred form of communication. It’s quick, efficient and it’s just life in the 21st century.
My blogging friend Mysteries of Life posted this piece on The Death of The Phone Call. In it he eloquently explains why he loathes talking on the phone. While reading it, I kept nodding my head, chuckling and thinking ‘Me too man!’
But, unlike Mysteries, I DO still enjoy sharing some real time conversation on the good old telephone. (Are they even called telephones anymore?) I am one of those people that spends time in my car and calls you to chat. If the stars align, and you have a moment to talk and actually answer the mini TV in your hand, yay! If not, oh well. I don’t expect a return call. I get it. BUT…
Sometimes life is too busy to meet for a cuppa coffee. Between working, schlepping around with kids, running errands and finding time for myself, I don’t often have time to see the people I really like. A phone call while I drink my coffee, even if its just for ten minutes (GASP. Ten minutes of talking?) can really help friends stay connected.
While texting is fun and emojis are great, nothing beats a phone call to express your empathy your true self or your mood in general. I love a laughing emoji with tears streaming down it’s face, but I’d much rather share a laugh with you and hear you gasp for air when I make a snide remark. A quick quip? A funny moment? Call me. Not all the time, mind you. Every now and then. Hey, even sunshine burns if you get too much.
Phone calls take just as much time as texting. In fact, I have most certainly spent more time on a text thread than on my last ‘catch up’ phone call. While we can be silent while texting, still watch tv, talk to those around us and pet the dog, we still have to stop what we are doing and type. When we are on the phone, we talk, uninterrupted (unless we have toddlers) and can fold the laundry. We live in a quick frame, fast paced, upload in less than a second society. I think it’s nice to slow it down and linger on the phone every now and then.
I promise I won’t call you when the next musical icon dies. We can text about that. I promise I won’t call you to ask what time we all need to be at school for our kids graduation. We can text about that. I promise I won’t call you to share a great recipe, tell you about a great deal I got at Lulu or even to make plans for dinner this weekend. We can text about that. I may call you just to say hi and to find out how you are. We can text about that too, but I’d love to hear your voice.
Phone, text or both? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. It will be just like texting, hah!
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