HIssy Fit

I love having a cell phone. It's wonderful to be able to call someone to keep yourself company on long trips. It's also so convenient to ring someone up in their car to ask them to pick up milk or bread on their way home. But lately, I have noticed that every time I get in the car, I reach for the phone.
It has become a bad habit, to say the least, and a total addiction at its worst. But I know I'm not the only one. In fact, I know for sure that my husband is ten times worse than me. Again, though, he and I are not alone in this telecommunication frenzy.

Everywhere you look, people are on the phone-at the beach, at a party, at work, at the mall, the grocery store, even pumping gas. I even saw a women power walking down a walking trail at 7:07 in the morning.on the cell phone.

Who do you call at 7:07 in the morning and what is all this talk, talk, talk about anyway?

The cell phone has become another method in which we numb ourselves away from dealing with ourselves. Just like television, it is another void to fill our time so that we don't have one minute of quiet to actually ponder about the state of affairs brewing in our own heart and head. It's another electronic form of Valium to take us away from the hassles of real life, and all it's really doing is providing more and more stress little by little. Yes, now you are free to communicate whenever and wherever, but I see it sapping my freedom to not be readily available to the world.

When's the last time you pulled out of your driveway and realized you forgot your cell phone? I bet you either turned around or pulled right back in to get it because, for God's sake, what if the house actually burns down while you run to the post office? Or, worse yet, what if you get to the grocery store and the kids can't call you to remind you to get chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream (like you would actually forget to buy ice cream). That would mean you might have to drive back to the store, which I know is possibly as far as two or three miles away, or the poor, deprived little children might have to do without until tomorrow. Bless your heart and theirs; that would be a burden.

Get off the phone people! Let your poor retired mother sleep in for heaven's sake. She does not need you calling her at 7:07 in the morning asking her what she's doing. Let me clue you in right now: She's trying to sleep but her cell phone keeps ringing and waking her up. Besides, you just talked to her at 11:00 last night, not much has changed since then.

You know what else? I can't stand it when people bring their cell phone into a meeting. Like I have all day to wait and see how and what their mother is doing. And if you are having lunch with me, don't bring your cell phone. It's your choice: have lunch with me and talk to me, or have lunch with your cell phone and whoever the poor soul is on the other end listening to you ramble on with your mouth full. Do we even know anymore what we have ordered for lunch? The poor waitresses have to read distorted lips and headshakes just to get your drink order because you can't put the phone down long enough to properly address her. Is the word rude popping into your head right about now?

I have made a commitment to myself to cut back on my cell phone usage. I did not pick up the phone the entire way to work yesterday. I listened to a hilarious Andy Irwin storytelling CD instead. I was in a much better mood and was all the safer for it. That doesn't mean you won't ever see me on the phone, but I'm making a conscious effort to hang up the phone and get back in my life.

Okay. I just pulled in the driveway. I'm at home now. I'll talk to ya' later.Bye.