Spam-A-Lot or Not?

I only have a few minutes before I have to be at my Texting Anonymous group meeting📵. It's not actually a physical meeting. You guessed it ... we text📱.

We text about why we have given up texting ... about the rejection that we feel

when no one texts back after we have shared an important part of ourselves, a piece of our lives (like a photo of the ice cream cone🍦 we are about to eat) ... about the isolation and depression☁️ we feel in a room of people, all with their heads down and fingers flying over their phone keyboards⌨️, who are obviously more important than we are because they have something interesting to text about and someone to text it to💔.


We text about why our outgoing texts📤 are considered "spam" while incoming texts📥 are considered texts😒. We text about why we must resist the urge to pick up that phone and pull up that way-too-tiny keyboard⌨️!

Spam ... what the heck is that, anyway? Well, I know what it used to be. It was processed meat(?) that came in a can and you fried it 🍳. It was a "getting from one paycheck to the next meal." Now, my sons tell me it means texts that haven't been requested. Hmmm ... now I must ask someone first if they want a text? But to ask them that would be considered spam, right? I'm just not getting the gist of this whole thing😕.

Years ago, before the internet 💻 and before smart phones📱 (and before most of you!), the highlight of the day was a visit from the mailman. Long distance phone calls ☎ were expensive so we waited with great excitement for the mail delivery 📭. Yes, he or she delivered ads and bills💸, and we called them "damned ads and bills💸." It never crossed our minds to say "our mailbox is just full of spam today" 😲... because that was probably what we were having for dinner.

But the mail also contained something exciting that you are probably not familiar with ... letters💌. Personal, hand-written (people used to do that, you know) letters that asked how you were and wanted to know what was going on in your life and filled you in on theirsℹ️. Sometimes, to make you feel really special and loved, photos📷 were included. I guess it just didn't dawn on us to respond with "I didn't request this letter or these pictures so stop spamming me." Then we would write back with our own news. That's how it worked. This was called communication, written correspondence, keeping in touch ... and I miss it☹️😭.

And when we were out somewhere, we didn't take our stationery (that's what we called the paper that we wrote our correspondence on)📜 and pen✏️ with us. We left that home and actually talked to other people ... yes, by looking them in the face👀. Novel idea, huh?  And if we were special, we received a hug. No, not an emoji but a genuine arms squeezing around you, crushing your ribs, taking your breath away hug. Sigh ... those were the good old days! And that was REAL communication!!

When I got texting on my phone, I thought how great it would be to send texts just because I was thinking of someone or to share everyday life😀👏. Now I can understand that my family👩‍👦‍👦 and friends may not be as interested in my tomato plants 🍅 or the resident squirrel as I am, but hey ... at age 70, that's about as exciting as my life gets👵!

I mistakenly thought texting would be a great tool🔧🔨 because I am a sharer. I like to share everything that happens daily in my little world🌎 (as you can tell from my blogs!) ... and that has turned out to not be such a good thing for a texting addict☹️. But I give my textees (the lucky recipients of my earth-shattering messages) choices. If they don't like the photos of my cute new shoes👡, then I'm sure they are interested that McDonald's 🍔 in New Hampshire serves lobster rolls . Who wouldn't be, right???

But now I have to remind myself, "Donna, step away from the phone.📣" I come from a different world ... and texting is not bringing me happiness. Well, the texting is delightful, but not when you can only text yourself for fear of bothering someone else. Then to add to the rejection, sometimes I don't even respond to myself! And that is why I need Texting Anonymous📵.

I am proud to say that I have not sent an unsolicited text for a few weeks now 📉, but the urge is still there😲. The road to recovery will be difficult, but I just need to remember the torture of staring at that blank screen waiting ⌛⏰⏳ for a reply, putting your life on hold while you assure yourself that your message must have gotten lost in space somewhere☹️. Because why else would the receiver not be excited that you found the best Greek yogurt flavor ever😋?!!

I would remove texting from my phone plan but then how would I be reminded of my next dentist appointment 📅 or that my prescription💊 is ready to be picked up. Besides, do they even have plans anymore that don't include texting?? Wonder what they would say if I asked them for the plan that includes spamming instead of texting???💭 Maybe I should text them and ask ...
 

 

Melanoma Mama (Jaime's mom, Donna)

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