Some friends are in the 80's and 90's but it still happens that when I phone them, they say, "Sorry, you called at a bad time." They may be in a conference with a financial advisor or have just heard a friend died or they are in the midst of a knock-down argument with their long-time partner and just got knocked down. So, what gives?
So far, I haven't been told to make an appointment to call them. I picture them messaging me or sending a letter by US post giving me a web address for making a mutual time when we might both be free to talk. Keep in mind that these are people who would have died a decade or more earlier 150 years ago. They tend to be a little wrinkly (like me) and a little frail (like me) and weak (like me). They are on pensions and social security and I was brought up to believe that those at that stage of like nodded off and had plenty of time to talk.
But today, we have phones and cars if we want to visit. We have Zoom, Meet and others:
Zoom. Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing solutions for businesses. ...
Skype for Business. Microsoft's popular Skype service is augmented as an enterprise-ready video conferencing tool. ...
Slack. ...
BigBlueButton. ...
BlueJeans. ...
Whereby. ...
GoToMeeting. ...
Cisco WebEx.
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And that is just the possibility that my callee is engaged in an online meeting or conversation.
Cellphones make the likelihood that I will reach some while they are being fitted for a wedding celebration tuxedo or something other that makes for a poor setting to discuss the meaning of life or if they are willing to board my dog for a month. I thought older age and retirement would be rather empty, with many available times and days. This is the first time I have ever been wrong and I am shocked.
