How many times do you text message a day? Do you prefer to text or call? Do you like to Skype or talk over coffee or dinner? I remember the days before text messaging, and I also remember the days before unlimited text messaging. Everyone talked on a land line or hogged roll over cell phone minutes. May be I’m old now, or maybe I remember a more pure way of doing things.

Texting offers so many benefits and conveniences. It is quick, simple, and gets to the point. You can read in places that are too loud to hear, and you can take time to think about what you are saying before you actually communicate it. There are many benefits to texting; however, it seems that actually talking to another person is becoming a lost art.

When I was growing up, writing a thank you note was the classiest way to offer thanks. Writing letters was even more special. Now we opt for emails over the handwritten word. That’s probably good in my case, because my handwriting isn’t what I’d call penmanship. I must say that I’m elated any time I receive a note in the mail because someone took the time and energy to write to me, address the letter, place a stamp on it, and mail it. That makes me feel special.

I recently met someone that picks up the phone to call me more than texting. I love text messages and emails that are personalized to me. Once I started getting real phone calls, I fell over and noticed that it seems almost like a rare occasion that we pick up the phone anymore to talk. That instant action, emotion, and conversational skill seems to be losing itself in the digital age. We still go for coffee, and fortunately we can take the phone call to the next level and Skype or Face Time. There are bountiful options out there to communicate.

I'm accustomed to our newer digital forms of communication and have lost touch with writing letters and talking on the phone. After receiving a few phone calls that made me feel so important, I decided to pick up the phone myself and pay the compliment forward! I was happy to hear a little surprise on the other end of the phone because it was clear to me that many of my friends haven’t received phone calls from a friend in a while either. Please pick up the phone and make a call because you can!