Thursday, January 29, 2009

I Know I Don't Call (But That Doesn't Mean I Don't Care)

True confessions: I have an incredible aversion to the phone. I wouldn't label it a phobia. I'm not overwhelmed by a gut-gnawing sensation when my phone rings, but I do experience a sharp irritation akin to sandpaper on bare skin.

I envy people who can chatter endlessly on the phone because it appears to be a nice way to connect with other people. But that's not me, nor will it ever be. I'm not a phone person. In fact, I am on the other side of the planet from where you phone people live.

I can't offer a sound or rational explanation for the reason phone calls strike me as burdensome. I love talking face to face. I love hand-written letters, emails, Facebook, and of course, this blog. But phone calls - everything from the press of the device against my ear to the raspy metallic sound of the distant voice on the other line - strike me as artificial and forced. I'm not good at it, I don't enjoy it.

So I won't call. But I still miss you and you should write me a letter or email if you want to talk.

It's not you. It's me.

2 comments:

  1. Andrea! I found your blog through facebook, and I just want to say that I, too, have an aversion to the phone! I will avoid picking it up at all costs. Email's much easier for me - maybe it's because we're both writers?

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  2. I agree; the writer's life I think lends itself to phone aversions. Some dread the blank page, but I have a horror of the shrieking cell phone. Thanks for the comment!

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