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| This is an actual screenshot from my voice mailbox. What it doesn't show is my inbox is full. |
My sister detests voice mail. She is honest about her
disdain, so much so that her inbox warns you that if you are not one of her
parents don’t bother leaving a message because she will not check it. My stance
is not nearly as defiant as hers. As much as I abhor voice messages, I do
occasionally check them — if for no other reason than to rid myself of the
notification at the top corner of the screen.
That will take a few minutes, a few hours or a few days
depending upon who left the voice mail.
I didn’t realize my inbox was full until my editor sent an
email Thursday afternoon inquiring about something trivial. He called my phone,
but since we were eating Thanksgiving dinner I didn’t answer. The last sentence
of the six he sent read “Also, your voice mailbox is full.”
Initially, I didn’t think it was possible that all 20 nodes
on my cell phone were occupied. I knew I have saved a series of stupid, somber
and/or sophomoric messages over the years, but I didn’t realize it didn’t allow
for anyone else to follow suit.
Voice messages are among the things I hold onto for far too
long. Since they didn’t erode too much, they have carried over from one phone
to another.
There is the one from 2010 where my dad asks me to give him
a call once I “hit the States.” Another from my friend Brian, who devoted more
than two minutes of his life encouraging me to write about his devotion to
sports. Two more were from people who were really, really touched by my work.
Then there is the triumvirate of wisdom from a former editor of my college
newspaper and very dear friend.
A Google search reveals I’m not alone. If anything, my
sister may have been onto something with her abstention from answering her
voice messages.
No matter how many tweets, texts or chats we have with those
closest to us, few things usurp the intimacy of hearing someone’s voice. The
inflection, tone, and syntax are all great conveyors of information.
It’s within those fine margins where I do my best work,
where I have my deepest conversations and how I understand others. So no matter
how much I hate checking my voice message, I will, because it’s still a great
place to filter out the white noise of life.
Laughs and
liveliness,
-Wb
