The telephone rings not.

If i look at my call display, the results are as follows.

80% of phone calls in the past 5 years have been from my sweetheart.
6% from my older sister.
6% from my younger sister who adopted me when we were 13.
my mother hasn't phoned in years.

my stepdaughters have phoned twice. yesterdays call was to verify what brand of cold medicine we had determined necessary to treat the ailments we brainstormed together over the weekend.. An alternative to ingesting childrens tylenol for headache and fever when her symptoms were no longer such. a very simple call, yet more meaningful than one might expect.

of the remaining 8% of phonecalls - 4% would have been made up by housing contractors all calling within a 2 month time period of renovations.
the last 4% of calls are a diverse bunch.

two friends waiting at a Greyhound Station in Sacramento for my bus, wondering when i was going to arrive finally.

a friend in new mexico wanting to thank me for the "get well soon" card i sent her when she was ill.

a dozen friends attempting to locate each others hotel rooms as we met up as planned in Las Vegas.

an elementary and highschool friend back home in canada that i reconnected with right before she got engaged and then married.. asking me to please attend... then thanking me for being there for her after it was all over....

a friend calling to find out if my train had arrived in Seattle yet.

friends wondering if we were getting close to the campground we were meeting at yet.

a friend in san diego, making plans to show me around Old Town while my sweetheart would be stuck in business meetings...

a friend asking me if i wanted to fly down and wander hollywood with him for the weekend then attend a roundtable discussion held with the cast and producers of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip at the University.


I dont have very many telephone conversations, but those that do take place tend to be of great importance. It seems that the limited contact makes the moment stand out more for me. Although a lot of my greatest friendships don't include regular face to face or telephonic interactions i think i spend more quality time with them than many people are blessed with.

Though i have to say - i do wish friends called me more often regardless of the time we spend together online.