Telephone

The day I got my driver's license was in August 1956. I picked up the phone and told the operator the number of the friend I wanted to tell.

"Did you get it?" Joan said. She was the operator but also had been in my driver-ed class.

 It wasn't too long after that dial phones were introduced and a friendly operator was no longer on the other end of the line. We got one and eventually we upgraded to a princess phones. 

Many years, I received a special very Christmas gift was a Snoopy phone -- the idea was to keep me from taking myself too seriously.

When I moved to Europe I had a normal portable and eventually a dumb phone which I used more or less until this year. Phones were annoying things that interrupted whatever I was doing and I was in no hurry to upgrade to a smart phone.

My husband insisted I get a smart phone. I hate the idea of staring at it all the time. I don't want anybody to call me except for an emergency. It has come in handy (which is the German word for a mobile) as a camera. 

And yes I am on Whatsapp but again, I don't want to be bothered with interruptions. Very seldom do I need to check anything on the internet until I get home. I want to look at what is around me, not the tiny screen. I will keep it with me because it is handy if we HAVE TO REACH EACH OTHER for an emergency. When I am out I want to be left in peace. When I am home, I still hate phone interruptions.

We do have a landline. I like the pleasure of just picking it up and dialing or saying hello not going through all the junk on my phone.

Since going through chemo my fingers don't work well and typing is a challenge.

I am not a Luddite. I will use my Kindle much like the mobile. As for my phone, I almost would like to be back to the days when I pick up the phone, a Joan-like person would be on the other end with a cheery voice.