If you know me, you know how much I normally hate talking on the phone. Not as much as I hate texting, but generally, I'm a talk-on-the-phone-to-make-plans-to-actually-see-each-other-in-person kind of person. But, let's be real. Gas is up to 2.75 a gallon, and I'm not getting very many shifts at the Old Navy, so it's not exactly practical for me to drive to see all of my friends in person. Heather, if we were using vegetable oil to fuel our cars, I probably would have driven to Indiana today, just to see your face, because I miss you girl (and because we buy our vegetable oil at Costco, and have a sick amount in our cupboard).
So today, I settled. I talked on the phone to not one, not two, but three dear friends. One was in Parma, one in Cleveland, and one in Hiram (yes, my mom and I have been a bit estranged... so I'm including her in this list). I talked on the phone for probably a total of 2 1/2 hours today, which for me is quite a feat. Additionally, I had lunch with one beady, a quick run in with another, and coffee with... someone else. Overall, I had a socially successful day. Even if I had to suck it up and mostly talk to people without making eye contact.
I think I feel accomplished because for the most part, I've done a really terrible job lately of keeping my relationships in tact. And I have no good reason for it. I've been really lazy for the past month. Sitting around my house. Watching movies and Gilmore Girl re-runs, and hopelessly failing at my goal of finishing some books before I go back to school.
And so today, even though I did watch a movie, I got to catch up with people who I haven't talked to in a long time. People who had big life events happen that I didn't even know about, because I was too busy knitting. Of course, ironically, if I had done a little more facebook stalking, I could have known all of these things... but let's face it, I hate facebook too.
At the same time though, I so take talking on the phone, and even facebook, for granted. I can do it any time I want. That earthquake that just happened in Haiti: that could happen in whatever place I'm in next year. I keep thinking that I could be someplace impoverished and something terrible could happen, and sure I could die (strangely, I'm not that scared of that happening), but almost as bad would be living and having no way to let anyone know. For days. It's weird because now that my goals for the mission field are becoming clearer, I'm realizing how very unglamorous it will be, and as excited as I am to be stretched to my limits, I'm also getting a little scared. It's healthy fear, I suppose; I'm not having night terrors or anything. But all these little things have started to creep into my head, things that remind me of what so many people in the world have put up with for their whole lives, and how lucky I am that right now, for 2.75 a gallon, I could drive to my parents' apartment an hour away, and give them a hug, and make a grilled cheese sandwich on their stove, and drink cold, clean water from their tap, and use a heated blanket, and sleep in their extra bed, and borrow some pajamas, and the list goes on...... of things that I have so readily available to me, that so many people would never even dream of.
I guess I shouldn't blog at 2 in the morning... because that is really not what I intended to write about when I came on here. But I guess materialism has been on my mind a lot lately, so it had to wriggle its way into my late night (or early morning) ramblings as well.
I'm losing steam, so I think I'll go to bed now. Ladies, good night. I'm so grateful for you. Really. Truly.
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