Tell Me Nothing

A telephone conversation can be very important, even when you have nothing to say.

Sure, you've just talked to your dad or sister or friend last week. You've got nothing to say now. No big event has occurred in the last seven days. Still, you would just like to hear their voice.

Many of us keep contact with friends and relatives through social media. It has really changed my life! Alot of things cannot be said via Facebook or Twitter, and perhaps it paints a rosier picture of our lives than is really the case. But in many cases, it's enough.

Of course, not everyone is into social media. Some of my relatives don't even have a computer! And sometimes, you really want to hear a certain someone's voice.

But what if you have nothing to say?

I may not talk to Dad more than once a month, but I need to hear his voice. What seems ordinary to him is big news to me, like his participating in two bowling leagues (plus the monthly one). After all, Dad is eighty-six! Asking how his brothers and sisters are doing is important to me, even if nothing much has changed. When I have nothing new to tell him, he enjoys knowing that life is going on an even keel for me.

Love your neighbor as yourself, or as the Golden Rule says, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Tell them nothing, and enjoy hearing their nothing in return.