contacts

My cell phone rang out loud and clear, and my excitement grew as I crossed the living room to pick it up.  The ringtone which was playing out loud and strong was The Avengers theme song; this is what I have set as my closest male friends contact ring.  It helps me to screen calls; yeah we all do it and if you haven’t set ringtones for your contacts, maybe you should think about it.

Anyway, as I went to pick it up, I mentioned how without my Otterbox cover on my phone its ring was even louder than normal.  My twenty-one year old daughter made the comment, “Yeah, but dad, it’s SO loud!”  I laughed as I answered the phone and talked to my friend.

In case you’re wondering why I like my ringtone loud, it’s simply because I want to know when someone is calling me.  In this world where almost everyone has a phone in their pocket, I think it’s rude if you don’t answer it.  Most of the time when my kids don’t answer their phone when I call, it’s because they have it on silent or vibrate.

Now I understand the importance of using the silence button.  If I’m at church, the movies or in an important meeting at work, I always put it on vibrate.  But other than when I’m extremely busy, I answer my phone if it rings.

I’ve told my friends and family to call me anytime, but if I don’t answer them it’s because I’m too busy at the moment to take the call, not because I’m ignoring them.  There is another side to this however.  I also tell them if it is an emergency and I don’t answer the first time, to immediately call me back.  If I see someone is calling me back to back then I know it is not just a social call.

I really try and answer the phone whenever I can, but this helps them to understand I am not just blowing them off.  Which is exactly how I feel when I call someone and they don’t pick up.  For instance, when I call my kids and they don’t respond; either by text or answering the phone, my mind can go to dark places quickly, and I have to fight off the fear which tries to take my heart.

Most of the time, they won’t text me back because they’re driving (and this is a good thing) then they forget to respond once they arrive at their destination.  I try not to take it personally, but you know sometimes us dads can go ballistic over the dumbest little things.

So I’ve got a suggestion for you, pick up the phone when it rings and if it’s on silent, don’t leave it that way all the time.  Silence your phone only when it is really important.  So there you have it, my rant for the day. Have a great day, and answer your dang phone!!!