If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

I have a love/hate relationship going on with phone technology.

It began when "The Jetsons" cartoon show first aired in 1962.  When I saw the robotic maid Rosie...the flying cars...what eventually evolved into microwave ovens...video calls on screens.  It boggled my little 8 year old mind.  I had a hard time picturing what the future would be like as it was.  I mean...I figured all the Jetsons' everyday gadgets would be something that came to my world by 1975.  1975 seemed a million miles away, and the year 2000?  Wow!  My husband happened to turn on a movie for a few minutes last night, a 'futuristic' film made in 1975 that was supposed to be taking place in 2012, I believe it was.  It was laughable at best.  Men's minds back then hadn't dreamed up "Star Wars" and all the technological wizardry they have now in Hollywood.

I come from a time period where, if I wanted to talk to a friend on the telephone, I picked up the receiver off the rotary phone, waited a few seconds, and then an operator would say, "Number, please," and I'd rattle off whatever 3-digit phone number I needed.  When we graduated up to actually using the rotary dial on the phone and were given 7-digit numbers to spin...wow!  Eventually it  progressed to cordless phones.  Cell phones.  Phones that can wirelessly turn your heat at home up or down.  Phones connected to your home alarms.  Phones that can give you directions as you travel.  Video calls.  Being able to bank and shop and find any information you need from millions of sources in nano-seconds.   Phones that take even more beautiful photos than a camera can.  Phones with alarms that wake you up, flashlights that help you see in the dark.  Phones that play music and movies and TV shows.

The list is endless.

And when you lose it or misplace it?  Oh, the panic that sets in.  You're not connected!!

How did this happen?  Why are we so intent on isolating ourselves so much from face-to-face encounters with people?  A lady I was talking to the other day who is a little older than I am told me about a party her granddaughter had on her 16th birthday recently and after the initial excitement of greeting each other, they went off into the family room and it became very quiet.  Grandma happened to look in to see why it was so quiet, only to find this big group of teenage girls staring intently at their cell phone screens, thumbs flying. 

"This is so rude!  All of you on your telephones!  Who on earth are you all talking to?"

The granddaughter looked up and said, "Each other, Grandma."

Oy.