I walked for miles and miles Over the Hill on the Yellow Brick Road and finally plopped down on a park bench. I was exhausted. A moment later, an older mobile phone sat down beside me. I sighed. The mobile phone asked:
MOBILE PHONE: What’s wrong?
Well, I don’t mean to be rude, but a mobile phone is the last thing I need to see right now.
MOBILE PHONE: Why? What did I do?
Nothing. It’s just that you’re a painful reminder of my daughter’s move to the other side of the country. My relationship with her has been reduced to text messages and calls on a phone like you.
MOBILE PHONE: Don’t I know it. Social media is killing me. I’m constantly working. Why do you think I look this way? Smashed screen. My keys don’t tap properly. My battery is dying. I need to retire but my owner isn’t due for an upgrade.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve never looked at it that way.
MOBILE PHONE: And I’ve never seen it through your eyes. What’s bothering you about mobile phones. We’re working our butts off for ya.
Do you really want to know?
MOBILE PHONE: I can take it.
Here goes. My daughter will text me about something that makes her happy. Like, last week she had a surprise birthday party. She texted me a photo of herself with her friends, but I didn’t get to hear everyone shout “Surprise!” when she walked in the room. I missed that moment.
MOBILE PHONE: Uh huh–
And when my daughter isn’t feeling well, she calls me. I can hear her raspy voice on the phone, but I can’t be there to give her tea and toast.
MOBILE PHONE: Uh huh–
Last night was the worst. My daughter made herself a nice dinner. She texted a photo of it, but I couldn’t be there to taste it with her.
MOBILE PHONE: Right—
And over the weekend, my daughter sent a Snapchat of herself at the end of a marathon she’d just run. But I couldn’t watch her cross the finish line.
MOBILE PHONE: But–
And about a month ago, my daughter texted me when she was afraid of the out-of-control fires in California. She texted there was smog and smoke in the air, but I couldn’t be there to smell it. I couldn’t be part of her experience. At all.
MOBILE PHONE: Okay, okay. Stop. I get it. As a mobile phone, I have my limits. You can’t see, hear, smell or taste experiences you’d like to have with your daughter.
I couldn’t have said it better.
MOBILE PHONE: But each time your daughter contacts you, there’s something you can feel.
What’s that?
MOBILE PHONE: Her love.
Copyrightoverthehillontheyellowbrickroad2108
Now THAT’S a Smart Phone! 😉
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Ha ha!!! The perfect ending to this post. 🙂
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(giggle!)
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What did we do for communication before mbl phones? We get a weekly video chat from our son – we can see him, we can hear him, he shows us what’s new in his home. A virtual hanging out with our kid 🙂 But yeah, we still miss him…
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I don’t know why I’m being such an old fart about mobile phones. I guess I just don’t understand why our kids have to move so far away. I gotta get over myself.
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My daughter is only 6 so I can’t even imagine how that feels….😔 but yes, at least, you can communicate….that’s something.
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Yeah, and quite honestly, my daughter calls or texts every day. I just think there’s nothing like being together in person.
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Agreed.
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So creative! An interesting post! I felt your pain! At least….. your daughter does want to be in communication with you. That’s wonderful!!!! 🙂
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Thank you for helping me see the bright side of the situation. I probably spend more time with my daughter on the phone or texting than I would if she lived five minutes away. But I still hate the freakin’ screen. 🙂
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Perfect! The end gave me goosebumps! ❤
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Yeah. I never thought I’d discover love in a machine. It’s like a sci fi movie.
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Wow. Your posts open doors in my brain! Better than WD40!
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It means a lot to me that I wrote something meaningful to you. 🙂
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That’s beautiful – and gave me a shiver down my spine.
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You just made me smile. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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That makes my husband’s flip top phone seem archaic.
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Ha ha! I guess if we have to communicate through these machines it’s better to have one that can do a lot.
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I’m still holding out. Don’t have a cell phone. Use my husband’s in an emergency.
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You’re probably better off.
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Gorgeous! Brought,tears yo my eyes❤️
On Fri, Mar 9, 2018 at 5:55 PM OVER THE HILL on the YELLOW BRICK ROAD wrote:
> overthehillontheyellowbrickroad posted: “I walked for miles and miles Over > the Hill on the Yellow Brick Road and finally plopped down on a park bench. > I was exhausted. A moment later, an older mobile phone sat down beside me. > I sighed. The mobile phone asked: MOBILE PHONE: What’s wrong? Well” >
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Coming from you–that means a lot to me.
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We have a son and two daughters. Our son lives 4 hours away from us, along with all but 1 of our grandchildren. Our older daughter has cut off communication with us. Now that hurts much more than just distance in miles does. I hope you never have to experience it. It’s wonderful that your daughter wants to communicate with you.
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Thank you for sharing that with me. I hope your daughter will ultimately see life differently and realize how valuable you are as her parents. Does she have children? I remember suddenly understanding what made my parents tick when I had my own kids.
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Yes, she has one son, and thankfully she has not made him cut off communication. He’s 23 and graduated from university last year.
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Another brilliant post! Since I as well, am in your shoes and “dealing with it”, I keep a lid on my “transitioning issues” by just focusing on celebrating the daily instant connection, as opposed to camping out at the mailbox….and the fact that my kids do connect with me and allow me to applaud them in all their choices and efforts. I love being their cheerleader…….its our job! And a confirmation of a job well done. Again, enjoyed the humor and creativity of your post!
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Great reminder about instant communication. In the dinosaur age (when I was a teenager), we wrote letters. By the time my parents received my letters, I was usually on to something else.
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Never thought of what a smart phone has to go through.. so they are smart but not smart enough to say NO when they think it is time for them to rest for a while. Hmm now, that sounds familiar. 🙂
I have decided to give my poor phone some rest. May be a couple of hours every day. 😉
There is nothing like being present in someone’s life but the closest we can get to it is through a video chat. Seeing the emotions as we talk and hearing the unsaid through their expressions. Kudos to all the hard working smart phones. We love them, don’t we..
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You know, I haven’t allowed myself to be comfortable with video chats. I’m too busy being angry about my daughter moving to the other side of the country. I’m better about it every day. It’s a journey. 🙂
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It is indeed a journey. I can’t even imagine that phase now. But I know I will get there someday and then I will have deal with it.
But Video chatting is pretty cool and am sure you will start liking it soon.
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That is so sweet! I love the ending 🙂
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Thank you so much. 🙂
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Loved it. Totally.
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That means a lot to me. Thank you!
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An excellent reflection on modern communication
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You’ve captured the love/hate relationship I have with my mobile phone, Cathi. Sweet ending. ❤️ – Molly
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You hit the nail on the head. I love and hate my phone too. I hate that I’d be lost without it. 🙂
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OHH! Perfection!
There is this hilarious TV commercial for a retirement finance bank that shows old people still working like a grandpa working as a life guard and an old granny working as a DJ at a disco. The background music is the song “Day-O” with the lyrics “Eighty-five and I wanna go home!”
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That’s hysterical! Gotta catch that!
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Haha, oh those cell phones. I put the mute button on!
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Yeah, it’s like having a virtual friend in your pocketbook 24/7.
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It’s not being able to give hugs that gets me.
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I feel the exact same way.
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Thank goodness our daughters want to stay in touch with us through their mobile phones and social media. It’s pretty special when they send a message about what they had for lunch or a special night out. It means they care enough to share those little moments. Life before mobiles must have been hell for our poor mothers!
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Wpw! You brought out a great point. I never looked at social media that way. I agree, there is something wonderful about knowing our children think of us at special moments and want to share them with us through social media. That’s their way. Thanks for the inspiring thought.
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I loved this post!! (Although I’m sorry that your daughter is so far away.) Yes, our phones can be a pain, and they are certainly overworked. But they do allow us to be in touch with those who are far away on a regular basis. And they do allow us to reach out in love!
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Yeah, I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel re: social media and my kids. Maybe a lot is said during those texting and Snapchat moments that I’m not allowing myself to appreciate.
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Beautiful post that made me smile. What would we do without these pesky yet useful things called mobile phones? Thankfully we can keep in touch with our loved ones wherever they are.Now, let me go and have a chat with mine 😉
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I guess we have to learn to see the silver lining. That being far away from the children we love so much we at least get to see into their lives, hear their woes and delight and in some way, particularly to them, remain joined. But I agree I have to work not to feel hard done by – I wonder if I would have been the same in the age of the letter and postage stamp …..
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Feeling the love. perfect
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Yup. That philosophy works for me sometimes. Other times, I’m still sad. 🙂
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I love the ending. So true, so thought-provoking!
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My children didn’t have their own phones until high school. I guess your kids will have them even sooner? Middle school? Elementary school? Don’t say preschool or I’ll go nuts. LOL
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I love this post. It really touched my heart. Thank you. -Jill
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I’m so glad this post meant something to you. This stuff is painful and it’s so nice to know I’m not alone with some of these feelings.
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I could tell that this post was very personal. I don’t have children, but I have people in my life that I love deeply and they are far away. Every ding of the cell phone lets me know that they are thinking of me too. Thank you so much for sharing.
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Thank you so much for taking my heartfelt thoughts to heart and responding with such kindness and understanding. I really appreciate your words.
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It´s really strange this love-hate relationships we have with our phones. Nowadays they can do so much but it´s still not enough! So sorry to hear that your daughter lives so far away from you now – I feel your pain – and so does your phone. 😉
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Ha ha! Yeah, my phone works way too hard these days. But I don’t force it to Face Time. T
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Me neither 😁
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💖💋 an extremely Smart Smart phone! Off to get a Kleenex.
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Ha ha! Love it.
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I reached for my box of Kleenex to wipe my tears. I just read this beautiful story to a friend and my voice crackled at the end and… well you know! 😘😘❤️❤️
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Wow. I’m so happy the mobile phone story meant something to you. Sometimes I feel alone with my “empty nester mom stuff,” and it’s really comforting to know I can share my feelings with others who understand. 🙂
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We are definitely on the same page! You are most definitely not alone!
We belong to quite a large club!
Your writing often reaches right in and grabs hold of my heart and sometimes my funny bone! 😁🤣
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That means sooooo much to me! Thank you! You just made my whole week. 🙂 🙂
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I love everything you write. I am nominating you for the Sunshine Blogger’s Award.
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Wow! Thank you so very much. Most importantly, I’m so glad you appreciate my conversations.
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