Telephones

This is in response to the Writer's Post Blog Hop hosted this week by Cat Graham at "Cattitude and Gratitude". 

        Growing up the telephone was the only way we had to keep in contact with my Dad when he was on the road.  He was an over the road truck driver most of his life.  Back in those days they didn’t have cell phones and when they finally invented them they were so bulky and expensive that most folks like my parents couldn’t afford them.

        Because of that my Dad was forced to use payphones to call home, his dispatcher, and brokers.  My Dad would call home every Sunday and Wednesday night like clockwork, no ifs or maybes about it.   He would share where he was and where he had been, ask how school was going for me, and end the call with an “I love you, be good!”  To be perfectly honest, those destinations and places went in one ear and out the other.  I never remembered where he said he was or where he was going.   After a while my parents invested in a toll free phone number for the house and finally a pager to make communication a little easier.

         Things have sure changed since those early years with cell phones being inexpensive and readily available.  At this point, we no longer have a land line, just a cell phone.  That cell phone is my life line.  It allows me almost constant access to my husband at any hour of the day or night.  We talk, we text, and send each other pictures.  My son, daughter, and I talk to their Dad every night.  It makes the time apart bearable.  It keeps us connected.  I never have to wonder if he will call, only when.  My husband is the only other man besides my Dad that I could always count on to call me hell or high water.  Once again, no maybes about it.  It is not the same as being together, but it is the next best thing and a far sight better than only talking twice a week.  Thank heavens for technological advances that continue to bring everyone in the world a bit closer.

     

           

V is for Void

     Anyone who owns a cell phone understands well about the voids and black holes of coverage.  Although most people with cell phones who hardly ever travel will rarely be bothered by the nuisance of the void, truck drivers who crisscross the countryside on a daily basis in the quest of getting from A to B on time pass through the void often.   Being the wife of a trucker, I am also affected.


      

      When I last spoke to my husband to tell him I was calling it a night and heading to bed he warned me that he would be disappearing into the void today.  That means that I will play hell getting a hold of him.  I appreciate when he warns me of this fact because otherwise I would worry if I tried nonstop to reach him and couldn’t.

       Communication between truck drivers and their families has come a long way since I was a little girl.  When I was growing up there were no cell phones.   My Dad entered the void as soon as he pulled out of the driveway.  If there was an emergency and my Mom needed to reach my Dad she had to contact the state police and have him tracked down, pulled over, and informed to call home.  In other words, as soon as he left she was on her own.  Any problems that arose she had to deal with herself.  My Dad would call home every Wednesday and Sunday night like clock work.  As a kid I remembered how hard it was to find things to say to my Dad on these occasions.  He would be gone 2-6 weeks at a time.  When he was home he was always busy working on his truck.  I got used to him being gone and because of that I became extremely close to my mom and shy around my Dad.  As much as I loved my Dad, I don’t really feel I got to know the man he was until he took an early retirement and was around all the time.  That is when I discovered what a cool, funny guy he was.  It was then that I truly began to appreciate him and the sacrifices he made to give his family a good life.

           With the invention of cell phones communication between truck drivers and their families opened up considerably.  My kids don’t see their Dad any more than I seen mine, but they do talk to him daily.  Because of cell phones he is able to still be part of their daily lives.  He hears about their successes and consoles them on their bad days.  Thanks to the camera and video capabilities he was able to see my daughter dance during the parent observation sessions of her class.  He is able to see how my son looks in his new haircut, or even the award he received for integrity almost immediately.  If anything is going to go wrong it usually manages to do it while he is on the road.   I still have to deal with whatever comes to the best of my ability ultimately alone.  The only difference is that with cell phones his input and advice is only a phone call away.  Having him in my ear is better than not having him at all.  It has always given me great satisfaction to know I handled a situation on my own, even if he was giving me his two cents in the process.

          No, cell phones will never replace being home with us, but they do shed light on the void.  He is still present in our daily lives, except for when he enters a void of non coverage and then we only need wait until he reaches the other side to communicate until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.

It Is What It Is- BFF 178

       On the weeks of the small paychecks you simply can’t pay everyone that thinks they need paying.  You pay the bills that take top priority and let the others slide, buy groceries, and put a little go-go juice in the vehicles.  The thing about bills is no matter how much the bill collectors hound you and claim that if you don’t make the payment today over the phone, the world won’t come to an end if you don’t.  We get paid on Fridays.  It doesn’t matter if you call me Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.  If you didn’t get paid the previous Friday, it is not happening this week.  When I get the money, you get the money.  It is what it is.

        I have always had a home phone until recently.  Then I realized that the only people that ever call on the home phone are telemarketers and the occasional bill collectors.   In other words, the only people who actually ever called the house phone were those that I really don’t give a rats a$$ if I ever talk to.  So in the grand scheme of things I decided that I really didn’t need a home phone so I canceled it.  On the same line of thinking I figured out I didn’t have to pay over $250.00 a month to have a cell phone with unlimited everything.  We got Straight Talk pay as you go android phones that do absolutely everything my high priced T mobile phone could do and pay a jaw dropping $45.00 a month per line.  That is only $90.00 a month for unlimited everything!!  Ka-ching!  I can just hear all the money I am saving!!    Why pay more??  In the price wars, you lose T mobile!!  It is what it is.

     Although I am trying to lose weight, I accept the fact that it will be a rough and tough battle.  Although when I look in the mirror I see a woman the size of a barn, I am always happy when I see people bigger than me when I am out and about.  I know I am not a skinny Minnie, but if you don’t like the way I look you can look the other way.  I am a work in progress!!  It is what it is.  

     Even though my husband is quite vocal about his hatred of cats, I like them.  I put up with his dogs and as long as he is married to me and I have breath in my body he will put up with my cats.  I have seen him sneaking around petting cats when no one is looking, so he fools absolutely no one.  For all his blustering about, he is gone more than he is not so if I want cats I will have cats.  It is what it is.
     

      I keep to myself, am not afraid to speak my mind, and will fight for my husband and kids.  I am loyal to those I love and to my friends.  I am gifted in the fact I can usually find something amusing in just about every situation.  You will never have to guess what I am thinking because I tell it just like it is and rarely sugar coat things.  I am what I am and it is what it is until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.