If My Phone Could Talk

In my line of work, I talk to people all day long - mostly by telephone. I try to make every person on the other end of the line, feel like they are my most important phone call. After all, for some, the phone can be the only ray of sunshine throughout their whole day.

A few days ago, I was talking to a lady on the phone that I had never spoken to before. My computer was running really slow, actually crawling, so I decided to make small talk while waiting for the screen to come into view. I asked her how her day was going. From that simple question, a conversation began. She spoke in broken English but I understood loud and clear; she just wanted someone to talk to. As I got ready to finish the phone conversation she asked, "Where your office? I come visit you. Say hi." I told her and she said, "Aaya! That far! Too bad!" Then she sighed. "Well, thank you for be so nice!"

The digital age we live in can either be a blessing or a curse, depending how others view us through our emails, texts, phone calls, tweets, blog posts, Facebook and other social media outlets. I created a scenario in my head...of losing my cellphone (which may not be too far from the truth one day).

Recently, I thought, "What if my phone had no identification and it was up to the person who found it to discover who I was by the texts, pictures, music and even numbers frequently dialed? Would they read a text I'd written in frustration and draw the conclusion that I was rude? Or would they consider me a gossip? Would they figure out that I loved nature by the pictures stored on my phone? Would they consider me a romantic person from my affectionate text messages to J? What would my cellphone say about me? What impression do I want to give others who read the things I've written?

I'm determined to change my attitude and live my life digitally the same way I live it live and in person. It's kind of like reinventing the saying, "If you can't say something nice, then don't say nothing at all" but instead, I'm going to adapt it a little...If what I say isn't capable of bringing joy, then it's not worth coming out of mouth!"