Text Messaging

I don’t text…shock…amazement…how does she communicate? I know I am so behind the times, I live such a “simple” life. Yea, yea, I have heard that before. My nieces can sit at the table and be looking right at me while I am talking to them and have their phones under the table carrying on a conversation via text with one of their friends. Amazing. They are going to have a serious case of carpal tunnel.

Cell service where I live is limited and half the time I forget to even take our cell phone with me when I go somewhere. This has not always been the case. When I lived and worked in Memphis and for the international development organization, my cell phone was permanently attached to me. If I did not have it with me, I felt naked.

Life has changed. Technology will suck you in (can you say Facebook crack) and then you will spend all your time relating through something that is powered by a battery rather than something with a heartbeat. I am trying to not let that rule our lives.

Then, there is the constant abbreviation and degradation of the English language. As a journalism graduate, that drives me crazy! K=okay, r u = are you, those are easy, but I would need a text lingo dictionary to keep up. I blame all of this on Prince. He started using U instead of “you” decades ago. His song “I would Die for U” (yes, that will be stuck in your head the rest of the day) is probably the first record of text messaging making it into everyday language. Darn you Prince, you started a Revolution for sure.

Don't get me started on my Southern Belle roots and the lost art of letter writing and thank you notes. Poor Miss Manners flipping in her grave.

Oh, and one other thing, I love when my husband calls me in the middle of the day. I love hearing his phone voice, love the fact that he takes the time out of his busy day to pick up the phone and call me. Texting could never replace that connection.

Now, we “simple” folks have adapted a little bit. My ever-innovative, back to basics, land loving husband who finds peace and joy in a focused activity, has introduced the Buckaroo's to a form of communication that is let's say a little more primitive than text messaging.

Of course, it will require some kind of building project.

Is it a stage for me?????

Little Buckaroo gets in on the building action.

And, then there was the painting. They ruined two sets of clothes before I just told them to take their clothes off.

Pretty cool project, but what is it? Who lives here?

Yes, our text messengers.

The boys now have homing pigeons, look up how they were used in World War II, it is fascinating and a great lesson for your kids. So, if you see a pigeon with a tube around its ankle. Take the message from me and send it back home. That is about as close to text messaging that your going to get from The Park Wife.

Happy Earth Day,
The Park Wife