Let me set the stage for this post by providing a bit of telephone history. My freshman year of college was 1974. Cathcart dorm had one phone on each wing. Can you imagine the fight that took place for a few minutes of connecting with a male that hopefully was about to ask you out? I spent many hours between midnight and two o'clock in the morning on the floor cuddled up in my quilt to talk uninterrupted with Jeff ( at that late time I could ignore the sign reading, Please limit all calls to ten minutes!) Really? To talk to my parents I called "collect" and actually spoke with a living, breathing phone operator, who would ask my mom or dad if they would accept a collect call from me ! The first house Jeff and I owned in Little Rock, I purchased the longest cord possible that allowed me to walk in the kitchen or den as needed to check on the sounds that commonly accompany three kids. By the mid eighties cordless phones had arrived. This was extremely helpful chasing three kids between floors. This provided a whole new level of communication! I could unload a car full of groceries and put them away, change a diaper, and bathe a toddler , all while talking on the phone! I learned a pleasant way to get recipes ready for Thanksgiving or any holiday fare was to chat late into the evening with another night owl like myself...thanks, Charlotte!!
Obviously, you see where I am going...CELL PHONES, the technology that opened up a whole new way of life. Like with most things, Americans take everything to an obnoxious level. I mean really! I attended my daughter in law's white coat ceremony induction into the college of Pharmacy, and in the middle of complete pomp and circumstance I heard the all too familiar i- phone ring. Every Sunday we can hear the sound that is not part of the worship team! Why even take your phone unless you are a doctor on call? Even if you are prompted by the Holy Spirit with a life-changing revelation, I bet it is okay if you wait til another appointed time to post the new found thoughts on Facebook. I challenge everyone to do the right thing and practice the much needed discipline of separation during all situations where phones ringing is not acceptable. I realize this might throw some of you into separation anxiety but I fully believe you will find it liberating!
Another observation I have noticed is the condition that may be described as a "senior moment." Frequently women are categorized based on hormone levels being too low or too high! While I believe based on personal experience some crazy things take place in a female's body, I don't believe hormones is the reason. I contend it is the act of trying to process an unbelieveable amount of information at one time. Since I can no longer use the phone, I have observed the sheer panic at the scrambling into pockets or purses trying to intercept the call that might be earth-shattering! Jeff still hasn't grasped the concept of taking his phone into whatever room he is in. He may have started a new event in future Olympics-- Running Through an Obstacle Course Leading to Your Phone...maneuvering his way by the ringtone to the location of the MOBILE cell. Don't you find humor suggesting that one term used to denote the type of phone actually makes it difficult to find when you need it? I am constantly hearing "Will you dial my number so I can listen to find my phone?" To apply some great words of wisdom from the Apostle Paul, everything used in moderation is good. Thanks, Paul, I wonder what words you would have said to this "I need everything instantly" generation. If we refused to allow so much in at one time, maybe we wouldn't set ourselves up for so many brain freezes!!!
