Phone Numbers

It came up in conversation the other day that most of us don’t know each other’s phone numbers.  True that.

I remember clearly a moment that happened YEARS ago……

A few years before our kids became a reality, a bunch of us were hanging out on July 3rd.  We were in my living room with some local friends as well as a few friends from Rockport who were home visiting for the 4th of July week.  On the 4th we all had different plans/obligations, but we wanted to meet up at the end of the day.  The questions arose, “Do we all have each others’ phone numbers so that we can track each other down?”   I, silly me, jumped up to retrieve a pad of “sticky notes” so that we could all swap numbers….   I walked back into the living room to see everyone else had whipped out their cell phones to add contacts.  I, of course, had a cell phone back then….but, hadn’t quite transitioned to the modern day way of easily saving phone numbers.  Much like some people now still jot down recipes from a website rather than taking a screen shot….or write down a child’s wish list from a store rather than snapping a photo of the toy or item.

So, back to phone numbers.  I can tell you without a second’s thought that my phone number from birth to age 9 was 774-7451.  My phone number from age 10-17 was 468-4544.  However, I can’t tell you my mother or father’s current cell phone number.  Nor can I tell you anyone else’s.  The only cell phone number I actually know is my husband’s and that is probably only because it is one number away from my own.

I do, however, know our dentist’s and doctor’s office phone numbers off the top of my head.  I could also order a pizza from two local take-out restaurants….because, I’m happy to report, they’re not simply saved in my contact list.

So, my question to you is….   In thinking of family members and good friends, how many phone numbers do you actually know?   Who could you call if you were to lose your contact list?