on the phone | reverse threading

quiet guitar, a little flute, an oboe line weaving in and out.

i know – without a doubt – that they are trying to keep me calm while on hold. having just gotten off the phone with a billing department, it is not a far reach for me to imagine one falling fast asleep during this interminable period of time. the age of technology and customer service have taken a turn to the worse if they are programming music specifically to slow down our rapidly-beating hearts and blood pressure when we call.

from a personal standpoint, were i to be accessing this music – this particular track – through a mindful practice app or a guided imagery site, it would be pretty helpful. but the use of background music on loop – a composer’s nightmare – to soothe my billingbrain is trying.

and then there was this moment i had on hold one day when i called an insurance company. paperwork strewn in front of me, pencil and notebook at the ready, a list of questions in my head, i was ready to take them on. i was instantly put on hold the moment i selected “speak to a representative”.

the music started.

mine.

piano, strings, a cello line weaving in and out…

it did take my mind off the insurance debacle.

instead, i just kept wondering if they were paying royalties.

*****

read DAVID’s thoughts this SATURDAY MORNING

SMACK-DAB. ©️ 2023 kerrianddavid.com

my name is kerri and i was a razor-flip-phone-holdout. it’s occurred to me that i might have been the last person who ever had one; i went from having my own brand-new-razor to The Girl’s hand-me-down-razor to my friend’s hand-me-down-razor to my friend’s daughter’s hand-me-down-razor….you get the picture. i would hold tightly the little screws keeping both halves of the flip together as they loosened and fought to cease and desist – just to not have to move on and decide on (read: learn) a new phone.

The Girl and The Boy generously gave me my first iphone for christmas a few years ago. it was an iphone 4 and it was groundbreaking. all my fears of smart-phoning disappeared and i became a part of the 21st century.

if it weren’t for texting, there are few conversations i would have with my children-who-live-far-away-and-are-too-busy-to-be-on-the-phone-with-mom (i knowww you can relate.) it was always remarkable to me how fast The Girl could text; i teased her with thoughts of entering her in national contests. she rolled her eyes. apparently, this is not an uncommon skill. i have to say, i flipped out the day, some time ago, that my iphone deleted my string of texts from The Boy. these text-strings are pieces of life.

i have graduated one iphone beyond the 4. skipping the 5 i now have a 6. well, technically, a 6s (there are varying opinions as to what the ‘s’ means.) it still amazes me the kind of connectivity with the world i can have with this little device, how truly smart it really is.

text me when you land makes me laugh. an absurdly funny cartoon, you have to admit, texting is alive and well in all places.

TEXT ME WHEN YOU LAND MERCHANDISE