Remember the days when the house phone rang and you had no idea who was calling? Maybe it’s a friend or family member. Maybe it’s someone you don’t know trying to sell you something. At least it was a human being. I bet there are some readers who weren’t even around back then. Those were also the days of a busy signal with no way to leave a message.

Nowadays I don’t even have a landline phone. Most of the calls I receive on my iPhone are “robocalls” that I’d rather avoid. This has led to my general dislike for phone calls. Unless it is someone I really want to talk to, I’d rather have the conversation in an email or text message. Email and text messages can be handled on my own terms. 

I also don’t like leaving messages. I don’t like that the other person sees a missed call from me. The period after calling someone and missing him/her is what I refer to as the impending doom of a phone call. Now I have to be “on point” and “at the ready” to receive a phone call for some unspecified period of time. Some might go so far as to say it is like being held hostage. 

Once the phone rings, it yanks me out of whatever task I’m doing at the moment. It requires immediate and ongoing attention. STOP THE PRESSES! The phone is ringing! Better pick up! Or let it go to voicemail and prolong the impending doom.