My ears are ringing

You know the one where you put your finger in the dial and spin. The tip of my finger always got caught under the plastic and irritated me.

They had spiral cords, some were really long so you could move around the room while others so short you had to practically stand on top of the telephone, because they plugged into a wall phone jack.

We had a black one and a green one. We didn't hang either phone on the wall, but I guess we could have.

Later on we had the cordless, push button phones with long, silver antennae that you had to push in and pull out when making or receiving a call. I remember we had two. One worked fine, the other you could answer but couldn't dial out.

Then there were the cordless with antennae attached and probably some other kinds in there I'm forgetting. The point is they all plugged into a wall jack and they all got the job done.

Back then I could go to an activity away from home and sit through the entire event talking only with the people I came with and those around me. Neither did I have a niggling worry in the back of my mind about what telephone calls I might be missing.

Those were the years before cell phones became popular -- and I became spoiled and lazy.

Today I feel half-dressed if I dare to leave home without my cell phone tucked securely in my purse or pocket, and if I arrive at my destination without it, near panic-mode sets in.

I mean, really, what's going to happen if I don't have it? I'll miss an important call? Well if it's THAT important they'll give me time to call back.

That being said. Yes. I admit it. I will turn around (depending on how far from home I am) if I realize I don't have my phone with me. A sad, but true way of life for many of us.

And how does laziness fit into this equation?

Without my cell phone, I cannot call the majority of people I socialize or do business on a daily basis. And I'm embarrassed to admit, that includes some family members.

Why? Because I never memorized their telephone numbers. I didn't need to. My cell phone does all that work for me. I know there are some of you out there that know exactly what I'm talking about.

I can still remember many of my friends' land line phone numbers from high school and college, even some of their parents, my relatives -- all of which I haven't called in years.

But I cannot remember my dad's cell phone number because I never bothered to memorize it.

There's something wrong with this picture.

Technology will continue to advance just like it did from the rotary land line telephone to the cell phone -- but it's only a tool.

It's up to you and me how we choose to use it.