Texting

     Communication used to take weeks, or even months.  Now, it’s instantaneous.  But, have we accepted it?

     I have to share a story that’s been nagging at me ever since it happened over a year ago.  I received a text message from a guy-friend one afternoon.  It was a joke.  As I was busy, I didn’t reply right away.  Later that night, around midnight, I tapped out a reply then went to sleep.  The next morning I woke up to no less than 8 missed calls from his phone number, and a recorded message from him that morning.  Apparently, his new wife had wondered who would be sending him a text at midnight and completely flipped out that it was a woman.  She proceeded to call me at least 7 times, but left no message.  That morning, he woke up, checked his phone, saw my text (and her return calls), and braced himself for the onslaught of her coming wrath.  The voice mail he left me that morning was an apology; he was quite embarrassed by her behavior.  It’s no surprise they aren’t together anymore.

     I view texting as a placeholder for conversation.  We’re all super busy, and personally, if I don’t write something down as soon as I think of it, it might not be there when I finally have time to call someone.  So, I text.  It might be midnight, it might be 5am.  If you’re on the receiving end of one of those messages, and it happens to wake you, then you should have had your notification dinger turned off.  Do you not realize that you are in charge of your phone?  Turn it off at night if you don’t want a text.  The “placeholder” text I sent will be waiting for you in the morning. 

     Back in the days of the Pony Express, do we really think that people wrote letters only during the hours of 8am until 8pm?  I think not.  I imagine people wrote letters by candlelight in the middle of the night, when their minds were clear and the house was quiet.  Just like me….texting a reply to my friend about his joke at midnight.  Innocently. 

     Technology is moving forward at a pace that people with small minds can’t keep up with. 

(No, this is not me.  I got this image at: http://www.zenbedrooms.com/blog/index.php/is-sleep-texting-the-new-sleep-walking/)