The beauty of a simple phone call has become all too muted under the loud pings of text messages, the chirpings of Twitter notifications, and the electric droplets of Facebook Messenger. Communication has almost become too easy, where now when we see the “missed call” notification on our phones, it’s difficult not to be a little irritated. We wonder why they couldn’t just text us, and what could be so important that they needed to call us? Yes, we sometimes too can’t help but feel a little worried, since phone calls are now so out-of-the-ordinary. Did something bad happen? Is everyone okay?
We have people we love spread out across the country and around the world, and the reality is, we can’t always drive across town to someone’s house or walk next door to see them. So why has talking on the phone with someone become an annoyance? Why are we no longer willing to embrace the sounds of their voices and their laughs when we can’t physically be with them?
It's true that we're all busy people. We look for the fastest and most efficient ways of doing things, and messaging is undeniably just easier. But never will it be as satisfying as a phone call, a voicemail, a Skype call, or FaceTime.
It’s hard to avoid getting caught up in what surrounds us to take a minute to acknowledge the fact that there is indeed a world outside of our busy bubbles: deadlines, late nights of work, little sleep, and those individuals we see on a daily basis. Our worlds outside are just as busy and just as chaotic, but they’re also just as beautiful and special, and it’s important that beauty not go unnoticed. We have people that we can't always be with when we're thinking about them, when we need their comfort and support, and we need to let them know we miss them by other means than just a text message.
Yes, there are those times when we begin to run ourselves ragged with our busy schedules to avoid feeling the heartache of missing someone, and we convince ourselves that any method of communication other than texting would just make the distance harder.
But it’s just simply not true.
There's such a quiet comfort in the instantaneous moment our Skype calls or FaceTimes connect, and we can see their face for the first time. Suddenly, they begin to not feel so far away anymore. We simply don't get that same comfort by receiving a text message.
Unfortunately, there are many times when messaging is necessary and our only option at the time, for whatever reason. That being said, it’s important to take advantage of the opportunities we do have to call, to FaceTime, to Skype. Take a second out of your busy schedules to call someone, tell them you're thinking about them, tell them you just wanted to hear their voice. I guarantee you it will make their day a little bit brighter, and it could come during a time when they really needed to hear it.
We are quickly approaching the holiday season, and holidays are meant to be spent embracing the presence of those closest to us, some of whom we don’t have the pleasure of seeing all too often. But it isn’t always the reality that everyone we want to see can make it to our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. So give them a call, tell them you wish that they were there with you, and feel thankful that the ones you are physically surrounded by were able to join you.
Long distance is hard. It can be painful and exhausting. But hearing their voice and having those minutes, however long or brief, where they didn't feel so far away can calm the chaos we feel both in our minds and in our hearts. It's totally and unquestionably worth it.
