When are you getting home?  What’s for dinner?  Can you pick up milk and diapers?  Those are some of the regular text messages I get these days.  I quickly reply back with short answers like, no problem, or what do you want, I’m not picky.  Text messaging has become a phenomenon in the U.S. these days, catering to those of us who are all about convenience.   I have never been one for long phone conversations so I see text messaging as a Godsend. If I could reply to him with a text I would say thanks a bunch.
What I like about texting the most is the, directness. You can cut through the minutia and get straight to the point without wasting time.  I admit that sometimes I hesitate to pick up a phone call if I don’t feel like I have enough time to take it.  With a text, I can usually always engage in conversation right away, since I know it will be to the point and quick. You’re in and you’re out!

    What surprises me are the people who refuse to embrace new technology.  I will send them a text message and rather than replying, they pick up the phone and call.  They say they don’t do texting and would rather talk. Oh really, you don’t do that? It’s as if I was offering them drugs. It’s just a little workout for your fingers I think to myself as I just wasted two minutes of my time. Then there are those whom you suspect are not hip enough for texting and you find out they do text.  These people are discovered when you send them a text with no anticipation of a reply, then surprisingly, you get that unmistakable little chirp on your phone with their response.   Don’t judge a cell phone by its owner, the secret society of texters is growing every day. Studies say that 75 billion text messages are sent every month. I suggest you take a chance by texting those whom you least expect a reply from.  You might just be surprised and then you can add another to the list of those you don’t have to speak to.

    Convenience aside, there are some drawbacks, like trying to text while driving.  This is something I admit I have tried but wouldn’t recommend.  Particularly if you drive a stick shift like I do.  I managed to get the text off but I know I must have looked confused and reckless while trying to do so.  Driving while talking on the phone is dangerous enough unless you’re using a hands free device where texting while driving is just plain stupid, so forget about it. Also, be cautious when your superior texting skills get so out of hand you phonetically write everything, leaving the respondent at a loss of words. “Whatchor 20? Meet u l8tr. LOL, ten4?” I don’t know if the person is lazy or in a hurry because they are driving, but they sound like they didn’t finish third grade English. One of the things I don’t do is acronyms.  I pride myself on complete sentences and if I have to decipher messages, I usually don’t try too hard to figure them out. Don’t get me wrong, I like wittiness but some people become over confident in their own language.  Keep on texting, but take the extra time and spell out what it is.  It’s possible to be too cute by using words that only you understand.