Billy here.
Anyone else feel it?
When I go to the gym, I leave mine at home. It’s one of the few times I leave it behind, though not far. Others are when I am out to dinner (not lunch, usually) or at a very “formal” event – and even then it depends on the event. At church, it stays in the car. At a wedding, hell, I have to confess: It depends! I guess, though, I’m pretty much addicted to the thing. And, oh, yeah, when I’m trading (one of the things I do for a living) I put the little machine on silent. No interruption is important enough then. Well, there IS one but she has to deliver that in person. I digress …
The point is, I don’t know about you but, for me, my Blackberry is always somewhere in the back of my mind. If it’s not with me, I’m wondering what note awaits my return.
I guess it’s kind of like when there was no phone in the REALLY old days (you know, when it was uphill both ways to school) and someone heard the Pony Express, Wells Fargo Wagon or some other carrier of lore had come riding into town with something for them. That person just couldn’t wait to get to the depot to see what it was.
Or, perhaps it’s like when we (well, OK, some of us) were kids and the home phone rang. If there were siblings it was, “I’ll get it!”, followed by a mad dash to the phone to see who it was. I don’t know about you but, if I answered and I wasn’t the first to yell, “I’ll get it!” (or, even if I was – I had an older sister), there would be hell to pay.
Whatever it is about a text message, it’s special. When I’m away for a bit I just look forward to getting back to see my text messages. Even worse is when I hear the “buzz, buzz” of a text message and my Blackberry is across the room or not immediately at hand. Forget about it! I can hardly think straight until I see what sort of little nugget awaits me.
Is this because texting is still different from e-mail or a phone call? Somehow sacred? It may be. Yeah, junk is starting to come via text but not so much and not unless you’ve asked for it. And, God willing, it will stay that way. It will stay sacred. Know what I mean? If it comes via text, it’s coming from someone you really know. So, you want to see it. If it’s the phone – even your cell phone … who knows? It might be work-related. Bad news. And an e-mail or, yuck, snail mail? Yeah, not so much … If it’s snail mail it’s a bill. That stuff can wait.
Texting, though? Yeah, it’s good. I like it. And God bless the telecommunications companies for thinking of it … and for helping us to keep it private – sacred, even – so we can count on it for those little nuggets!
Anyone else feel it? Feel the gravity? The gravity of the Text Message Machine? I do.
Until next time something happens or something crosses my mind …
Cheers,
Billy
