Rachel Friedmann

10-15 years ago, I would never have imagined having text message conversations with my parents. Today, it is a great way to communicate without having to phone each other to share something that could easily be shared in a quick message. For instance, my parents recently took in a puppy. They had waited a few months since the beloved almost 17-year-old family dog had passed, before starting their search. To ensure they received family input, we received numerous pictures sent straight to our phones of potential pet siblings. Finally, they decided on a sweet puppy named Danny.

After being a Friedmann for about a month, Danny was raced to the emergency room for seizures followed by fluid-filled lungs. Today, Danny is at home being weaned off his meds. During the ordeal, my parents kept in touch via phone and yes, text message.

The poor vets probably had to smile. Everytime they walked into the room, my parents had to quickly get off their phones. Obviously, this is one example of many with my parents, but it is interesting to see how relationships and staying in touch has changed drastically. Now, to get M&D new phones with QWERTY keyboards…

This morning my Blackberry was on the fritz when a friend was supposed to be dropping off keys at my apartment. Since I wasn’t sure if she could get through to me, I sat outside and waited for her. Not knowing that she was running late, I sat there content for a good half-hour watching people going in and out of the building, listening to the birds, the trees, and nature. Eventually, she showed up and everything was back to normal with my phone. While I was waiting, I realized that in the past, when we were not so dependent upon cell phones this would have been a normal occurrence. Someone make plans with someone, someone runs late, and the other person waits. It was nice to wait this morning. We don’t do that anymore.

Technology has enabled us to do so many different things, but has taken away these periods of time when we do nothing. In some ways, it saddens me that relaxation usually requires an activity, even a passive one like watching television. In a few minutes, a friend is coming over to sit with me by the pool. Instead of laying and doing nothing, we will most likely talk for a bit and then read. Although it will be relaxing, there is still a desire to do something. Every once in a while, we should travel back in time to the days without cell phones and constant contact. Take a break from it all and relax. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!