I called my son at college the other day and the call went immediately to voice mail. I quickly received a text that read: “I’m in class, what’s up?” I texted back, “I want to talk with you. Let me know when you’re out of class.” The texts continued back and forth until we had secured a time that both of us were free to chat. Finally, at lunch time, Doug, Liam, and I had a live chat on the phone to catch up.

I had two more phone calls that day, one with my cousin, Glen, and another with my friend, Bill. Why am I telling you this? Simply because I believe our go-to means of communicating is text; it’s quick, it’s efficient, and it’s incredibly impersonal. In light of the global pandemic, perhaps we should be picking up the phone more often and hearing people’s voices. Zoom and FaceTime are great but they can be exhausting—plus it mean you have to be showered and properly dressed! That’s a lot to ask of most people nowadays.

Today, ask yourself: Who should I call? Maybe we should call at least one person a day. I loved hearing my son’s voice. Glenn made me laugh out loud, like he always does. And Bill told me a few incredibly heart-warming stories that made my day. I assure you a text would not have been able to accomplish the same thing at the same level. So, it’s our choice. Not every text should be a phone call, but if we’re only texting, well, I believe we might be missing some great moments.

With Gratitude,

Beth