Tools for Transformation Tuesday: Picking up the Phone

Anyone who knows me well can tell you I am not a big fan of the telephone. Perhaps it has something to do with years of answering the calls of angry constituents in a Congressional office. Maybe it comes from a seemingly endless supply of comically bad "customer service" experiences.  Whatever the origin of my aversion, the idea of picking up a phone to do almost anything generally produces angst. 

However, as it happens, one of my dearest friends left DC last year for the other side of the world. As I go through the course of my days, I quite often find myself wishing I could share an observation or a meal with her. And while email and social media are perfectly respectable mediums for keeping abreast of the latest happenings in her life, they lack a certain depth of connection. There is so much about a conversation that goes beyond the words exchanged - the increase in pitch and volume that comes with legitimate excitement or the flat tone of an overwhelmed, overworked soul at the end of a long week - elements that true friends need, and want, to share.

So I picked up the phone this weekend, and I am so glad I did. We chatted about her travels, my daughter's latest antics, and changes in the neighborhood we formerly shared. While nothing about our discussion was particularly intimate, the exchange produced the desired effect of reestablishing a connection I treasure. Every time I am able to have one of these conversations, I am reminded of the need to more often find space in my life for the people who enrich my soul.

Is there someone whose voice you need to hear this week - or someone who needs to hear yours? Can you take action to connect in a meaningful way?

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