Conversation.

Before I left printing (just a short month ago) I would talk to many people during the day. From helping a customer at the counter pick out business cards, or on the phone letting them know when their job will be ready. But, primarily, I would communicate via e-mail. I mean, e-mail, a lot. It’s so much easier to send a quick e-mail to a client rather than pick up the phone and possibly have to leave a message.

Now, I tend to talk to very few people during the day. Parker is home with me so the conversation is more like instructions. “Parker, please pick up your room,” or “Parker, get down from there!” And, with her responding with, “Why do I always have to clean my room?!”, or “But I like it up here.”

Oh, then there is the conversations I have with the dog, Thor. “Bah!” means “stop doing that.” I don’t think he’s listening…

I still e-mail a lot during the day but it’s usually to people I haven’t even met. It could be business revolving around the Skate Club or answering e-mails that come in from my blog.

One thing I do everyday is text. Again, it’s easier to ask a simple question or send a quick comment rather than pick up the phone. My friend, Katrina (a.k.a. text buddy) and I will text several times a day. I also text my sister and mom. My sis and I have had whole conversations via text. Hubby would argue, in this case, it would be easier to pick up the phone. I argue that texting keeps me young and hip, not an old geezer who uses (gasp) a phone for talking.

Alex has learned to use my cell phone. We don’t even own a land line anymore, so it’s important for her to know how to unlock my phone and dial 911 if necessary. But, what she really loves is texting her friend (my text buddy’s daughter) all the time…on my phone! I created a monster.

What does that say about our society that we have so little verbal contact with people? For someone like me who never liked talking on the phone, it’s glorious. I would say it’s one of the greatest inventions, right behind the polio vaccine and the flush toilet.

I do love dinner time. That is when we all sit down at the table as a family and talk about our day. Who in Alex’s group is being a drama queen today, and what homework is due. We talk about skating and other things. That is one place where cell phones are ignored and we just talk.

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