Years ago, Heather talked about using a voice recorder to capture all the little thoughts with which she wanted to interrupt her husband Alec while he was at work. This was when she was at home with baby Holden, who did not give her the verbal acknowledgment she needed to feel validated throughout the day. (At two months old, he didn’t say, “Thanks for washing those sheets I just peed on.” Nor did he say, “What you’re doing with your life is totally worthwhile. I promise.”)
After comparing notes, we concluded that I am not quite as inclined to need to tell my husband every thought that enters my mind, although I have been known to post on Facebook multiple times per day and text Heather rather than him about my minutiae. As for Heather, she now sends her random thoughts into the Twittersphere where her husband may or may not see them.
Gosh, I hope Alec saw the ones about the plumbing issues in his own house!
So am I on the low end of how often I talk to my husband during the course of the day? Many days we have zero communication until he sends a text at 5.45 to say he’s in the car. My guess is that we average 3 communications per day, combining texts, phone calls, and emails.
It’s 11 am right now and we haven’t had contact since he left the house to take Julian to school this morning. I almost texted to ask how Julian’s hairdo went over (a blue mohawk for “Crazy Hair Day”) and then decided I’d just hear it from Jules when I pick him up.
I’m wondering what your pattern is. Do you have a rhythm, like a daily lunchtime check-in? What channels do you use to connect — and how has it changed with a smartphone?
I have a Windows Phone that I’m test driving as part of a sponsored marketing campaign, so I’m hyper-aware of every missive I send out into the world as I’m re-learning how to text, tweet, and respond to Facebook photos. That screenshot above of Heather’s Twitter screen is from my new phone. Here’s what her Facebook photos look like from my new Windows view.
With all these gateways between our brains and the rest of the world, is it difficult to control the impulse to interrupt your beloved with what you are thinking RIGHT NOW?
This post was originally sponsored by the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone. They did not influence our content.
