Family

I know it's going to be a good day!
Not only is it Christmas Eve, but I just got a surprise call from one of my favorite people in the whole world -- my baby sister!

I don't know why we (all of my siblings) don't talk more often than we do.
Perhaps we have let modern technology modify our sibling relationships so that they are like other relationships that communicate via social media and group texts or emails. That's kind of sad.

Last January I started with the goal of writing an actual letter every week.
That lasted about a month. Old fashioned snail mail really is becoming a thing of the past. Why write and wait for letters to be read when one can send and receive almost instantly? Unless there is something that needs to be physically sent, it seems very inconvenient.

But an actual phone call...
Hmmm... maybe a better idea for the coming year!
Sure, texting is short, sweet and tough to beat when it comes to a brief transfer of information or a quick thinking of you. And let's face it, we all have people that we like and would like to check up on from time to time that we really don't want to get caught in a longer than anticipated conversation with. A brief text or social media message is perfect for that.
But for somebody that you would love to see but can't because of circumstance or distance...well, the dialog of an actual conversation might be just the thing!

I can look on my phone's log and see that we only talked for 15 minutes and 7 seconds.
It's amazing that such a short conversation can lift my spirits in the way that it has.
Yep, I think I have a new plan for 2017. After all, it isn't like the old days when you paid a charge for long distance calling. I remember having to go through the phone bill and pay for my calls to girls that lived in the next town or across the river! Now we can even make calls to Canada and Mexico without additional charges!

I know that I will still use group messages, texts and emails in the coming days, but I do think that I will work more towards personal contacts throughout 2017.

Still learning about life,
John <><