I love March, when during the Slice of Life Challenge, I commit to writing on a daily basis. It's fun during 31 days of posts to watch the ebb and flow of my writing. Some days I'll be incredibly pleased with how a post turned out; other days I'll just be glad I posted anything at all. A huge thanks to the gang at Two Writing Teachers for hosting, organizing, and commenting on this ginormous event each year. I appreciate the community of writers you encourage the entire month of March, and all the Tuesdays the rest of the year. Thank you, thank you.
This March, I plan to connect as many posts as possible to my #OLW for the year - SAVOR.
Brinng! Brinng!
I dislike phone calls. I'm not a great multi-tasker, so when I get a phone call, I have to sit down in one place and be very focused on the person on the other end of the phone and their words. As my cell phone rang this time, I looked at my screen and saw that it was my friend, Lisa.
She never calls me. I quickly sat down on the couch and answered.
"What's up?! Is everything ok?!" were the first words out of my mouth.
"Yes, everything is fine. We just hadn't talked for awhile, so I wanted to touch base."
An hour later, we wrapped up our conversation with our typical closing ritual.
"Talk to you soon. Love you."
"Love you, too."
I had spent an hour sitting on my couch, doing nothing at all except talking to Lisa, and it was the best hour of my day.
We had talked about:
- her travel plans to Florida with her husband to visit family
- my travel plans to Hilton Head with my husband for spring break
- my future travel plans next winter to a warmer climate (and wouldn't it be great if she and her husband came to visit!)
- our children and what was happening in their lives
- her grandchildren and how darling they are
- recipes
- our plans for what we can do together when I retire (she's already there!)
An hour's worth of sitting on the couch.
An hour's worth of conversation and friendship.
I dislike phone calls.
But I love this friend!
**Author's note - You know how sometimes things dovetail in unexpected ways? That's how I felt about this moment. That same day, Ann Marie Corgill had shared a link written by a friend of hers titled "Would You Rather Be Liked Online or Loved in Person?" It's a great read and thought-provoking.
I love my online friends and connectedness, but the in-person, or in this case, telephone call with a dear friend, means so much!!
I don't like phone calls either. That said, I kinda miss the olden days, when I used to connect with people this way…
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I can picture myself on my couch chatting with my sister who lives far away. When I hang up, I always wonder why we wait so long to have those live conversations.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, when I started reading, I thought you headed in the direction that in the age of texting, a phone is only for bad news. What a pleasant surprise!
Agreed - I do not enjoy phone calls either - except to my husband. I so love texting!
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Sometimes I look at phone calls as in intrusion in my life, unless they are from someone who I haven't chatted with for a while. That's when I can sit and invision the person on the other end and feel that we are together.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to so much in this post. I, too, resist phone calls, but when a loved one calls, I always feel better after we've talked. Thanks for the link, going to read the other post now!
ReplyDeleteI cringe when the phone rings. Thought I was the only one! But, yes, it often ends pleasantly, doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I love the photo of you and Lisa. It just screams future plans. This post is such a good reminder that sitting and talking, investing in a friendship and yourself is valid. I hope someone calls me soon.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post! I liked how you give yourself time to devote to listening and having a conversation with a good friend. Multitasking is overrated! This is a good mentor post for me. It immediately started something brewing in my brain. Thanks!
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