Telephones used to be to connect to other people through sound, the human voice. My godmother had a cushioned telephone chair in her hallway, with a little side table attached where one would sit and talk. A friend bought an old house that had a recessed shelf in the hallway for a wall phone. When I was a kid, we would pull and twist the phone cord around doorways to have a private conversation.
Now that we have cellphones, we can talk anywhere. We no longer rush through expensive, long-distanced calls. Much of our communication has been rerouted into text messages or “connecting” to others through social media. Sometimes we leave a comment on someone’s post and they might “like” it.
Shift again, a move to a social media platform that is just pictures. I’m all for convenience, but did we lose something when a phone call became too much work? Is looking at someone’s latest post really a good barometer for how they are doing? We show our outings; tourist and nature and food pics, but who posts that they are going through a tough time?
There are a few friends that I have the catch-up call or a video chat, a few times a year and it doesn’t matter that we don’t know the day to day of each other’s lives; the call is to reconnect and we do it with ease and joy. But so many have eschewed the voice call for texting sentence fragments. Businesses have endless menus of maddening automation. Sometimes, though, some rogue owner or manager thinks it’s okay to let people make contact.
A few days back, I had an early morning trip. The dirt road I live on is nicer than many, as it’s wide and mostly maintained. I’ve seen some others with washout spots and barely room for more than one vehicle.
Having lived in Florida for many years, it’s been a while since I’ve dealt with snow and ice until I relocated to the Midwest. My previous experiences as a winter weather driver were in college in New York. And as a younger driver there, those times were not always perfectly executed.
Prior to going to sleep the night before the drive, a few towns over, I took the dog outside. While I was enjoying the stars, all bundled up, a light rain turned to snow. Under a bright moon, and heading back into my cozy home, the weather was charming and nostalgia inducing. I was concerned, however, about the rain freezing and then snow gathering on top. Maybe that wouldn’t be great for an early morning ride.
Back when I accepted one of my part time jobs, the bane and butter of many a writer, I said that my only qualm was driving in icy conditions. My boss explained that I would be following the larger city’s closures, where roads were cleared and salted, even though they were one hour away. The town where I would work, acutely aware that many residents live outside of town, often down dirt roads, all but closes down on inclement days (schools, the library, DMV, private businesses, but not always my job). My boss told me not to risk my life and I could call in on those days. I appreciated her assuaging this city girl’s fears.
An online article said the local military base was having workers come in two hours late due to weather. In the last paragraph was a link to a live map for road conditions, but it wasn’t loading. There was an 800 number for the state’s Department of Transportation. What were the odds that it was up to date at 6:00am? When was the last time I called any government number and didn’t have the run around? Need trumped past experiences and I called. A human answered! At 6:00am! I was flummoxed and felt silly.
The really nice voice on the line said, “Oh, that map is not always current. Where are you traveling to and from this morning?” I gave her my route. “You’ll be fine,” she assured me. I would be traveling from freezing to warming conditions. I thanked her and she said to call anytime.
Whether it’s people holding a door for me, smiling, going out of their way for the elderly or just a live person at their job answering the phone, the Midwest is spoiling me. While the 1980s playlists in the stores wear on me at times, life being a bit in the past has been good to me so far.