Skype Hype

Had you asked me 2 years ago what I thought of technology, my response would have been vastly different than it is today.  It wasn't until I joined the staff of FC Downtown (also known as the revolving door of the latest handheld device), that I even entered the world of smart phones.  Until then, I was perfectly content with my pink Katana flip phone.  It was cute, it sent texts, and most importantly, it made phone calls.  I make lots of phone calls.

It took me a long couple of years and some very persuasive teenagers to convince me to make a MySpace page.  After that became uncool, I went back to being perfectly content in my uncoolness.  Then those teenagers and their Facebook came along, and I begrudgingly joined them.  Kind of.  It was the running joke (the kind that's funny because it's true) that I averaged about 6 months between visits to said Facebook page.

Then I had Brynna.  Staying home meant less time at the computer, less time to talk without someone adding unwelcomed background noises and no more yelling down the hall to tell Janay something funny.  So one day while Brynna was napping, I put on my big girl panties and overcame my fears and repulsions.  I pulled up Google and searched, "twitter."  Not only did I make a twitter account, but I figured out how to send twitter updates from my phone and link them to my Facebook page.  A few months later, I also figured out how to link all that nonsense to Twitpic.  Yep.  All by my big-girl self.

Fast forward to this week - My little daughter blew kisses with her cousins.  My big daughter showed me the new pictures in her room and told me about school and tennis and boys.  My husband joked with my sister.  My dad showed me a pair of my mom's shoes he doesn't like.  All over Skype.

Years ago, when I first moved to Dallas from Oklahoma, I hit a seriously low point.  Life without my 2 best friends close felt unbearable.  Phone calls helped, but I felt like I missed so much.  I learned to cope but then 2 years ago when I quit working, I again felt so far away from people - and they were in the same city.  These (seemingly) silly social media outlets helped me stay connected to all of them.  Now, as my world keeps expanding with my family in different time zones and continents, I no longer feel disconnected.  It's different.  Of course, I still have really sad days when I wish I could let Taylor lay her head in my lap or watch Brynna play with Zoe and AJ.  But I would have never dreamed 2 years ago that I'd sit in my bedroom in Texas and talk to my sister in Malaysia.

So, I have to give it to you, Technology.  Skype, you really are worth all the hype.