Which are you?
Here is something my oldest granddaughter posted on Facebook this afternoon. It's long, but it sure made me stop and think.
"I was waiting to get an oil change and like anyone else I pulled out my phone to pass time. I was sitting next to an elderly man and he turned to me and said "is that one of those iPhone things?" I replied yes and he proceeded to tell me about how his nephew prank calls him all the time on an iPhone. What started out as a polite conversation quickly turned sour as he proceeded to tell me that iPhones have ruined the world. I had put my phone away and engaged in a real conversation with the man at this point but none the less felt embarrassed that instead of willingly engaging in conversation upon my arrival I pulled out my phone. For the next 20 minutes, the man and I bonded over the work we were having done on our vehicles, the loss of my great grandfather and his wife to Alzheimer's, and many stories about his past. My car came off the lift and I stood to go pay my bill. I thanked the man at the front desk and turned to the man and said "it was very nice meeting you. I hope you have a good day." In reply the man said "thank you for having a genuine conversation. It was something I thought your generation forgot how to do. It means more than you think to a lonely old man who doesn't have anyone." I then hugged this stranger and our paths separated. It's moments like these that make me so thankful for the upbringing I was blessed to have. Respect your elders and speak when spoken to were two big morals that my parents imposed on my brother and me. It was because of these morals that I was able to have the amazing conversation with a stranger while getting my oil changed. It's something I will never forget
."
Wow, really made me stop and think about how I would have handled that type of situation. As I have grown older I find it increasingly difficult and uncomfortable to have a conversation with someone I don't know. In all honesty I probably would have kept my nose stuck in my phone instead of engaging in conversation with the man. Oh, I would have smiled at him and answered his questions politely but I wouldn't have pushed the conversation to continue. But I'm not too old to learn by example, even from my young granddaughter. Put my phone away and talk to people. So, which type of person are you? One who would willingly engage in a conversation with the man, or keep your attention focused on your phone?
I responded to my granddaughter by telling her she brought a tear to my eye, and that I was proud of her. And I said that cell phones can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes I kind of wish they were still "bag phones plugged into the car."