Like many areas in life, we can benefit from intergenerational exchange and collaboration. You got grandmom on text and emojis; it's time for you to get on stamps and stationary.
Today we're talking mediums of communication. We're reaching back into the old folks' bag to add a little short game and long game to our repertoires -- quick calls and long letters.
Shout out to the elders!
Phone calls are one of the oldest moves in the game. You punch a few numbers into whichever apparatus you're using, and you'll reach the person you want to talk to. You can then communicate with your recipient auditorily.
Phone calls are many old folks' go-to communication method. Phones have been around for decades and, in most cases, calls have become considerably cheaper.
While your go-to doesn't need to be the phone call, one thing we can learn from old folks is how to make a quick call.
I've seen this at the grandparent age level, specifically with Grammy. Grammy is about her business on the phone. With her, it's a quick "how you?" and then a "stay in touch, hear?".
For check-ins, this length of dialogue is viable for anyone. It's easy to let your people hear your voice and let them know you're alive.
Gen X and Baby Boomers are quick to hop on the phone because of practice, but why are they quick to get off a call?
First, I know this concept is foreign to most and even unknown to some; phone calls aren't free. Facetime and other Wi-Fi-enabled audio calls are a relatively recent innovation preceded by the almighty landline. When you called before, you had a financial constraint on calls. Of course, incarcerated folks, expats, and their loved ones still know this cost as prison and international calls can run your pockets.
Next, the long game. A letter is a physical, written communication addressed to a recipient.
Old folks' are elite with letters for the same reason they're nice with phone calls: practice.
Not only should we add the medium to our game, but we should borrow old folks' practice of writing letters for small reasons too.
I've gotten letters from loved ones that just said they were thinking about me or saw something they thought I'd enjoy. This is like an IRL dm, except it hits way harder.
Like most things analog, letter writing is a way to get your thoughts out more clearly. On top of that, letters slow our recipients and us down. These joints take step-functions longer to construct and pass between people compared to a text, email, or dm.
Like many areas in life, we can benefit from intergenerational exchange and collaboration. You got grandmom on text and emojis; it's time for you to get on stamps and stationary.
Stay connected.
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