The PHONE...

If you call me,
chances are you won't get me.

I rarely, if ever, answer the phone around here.

I am usually, if not always,
up to my elbows in something--usually dishwater, bathwater, laundry, or school
when the phone rings.

I wasn't always this way.
I would run for the phone.
I would interrupt conversations with
my kids in order to answer the phone.

I would say, "I'll just answer this quick,
and then I'll help you."
And of course, the phone conversation ends up taking longer
than I thought, and by the time I come back
the child has given up on me and is gone from the table.

I don't hear very well on the phone
so I need to go into another room just to
hear what the other person is saying,
usually it's my bedroom.

I have to lock myself away from my kids
just to answer the phone.
And I don't really like that.

So I let the machine take it.
And I don't feel guilty about it.

The truth is, I can't always talk.
It doesn't make sense to me to answer the phone
only to say, "I can't talk right now."
Not answering the phone
should be evidence enough that
I can't talk right now.

I'm not saying "don't call me."
Not at all!
I'm just saying
don't be surprised if you don't reach me.

But do leave me a message and I'll call you back!