A Flat Tire and Texting Idiots

Slowing my car to a stop, I heaved a heavy sigh.  There was some kind of dragging on the front passenger tire, and I was convinced it was just a big impacted chunk of snow.  A few kicks later and a downward glance, and I realized it was a flat tire.  Uggh.  So here I am just scant minutes later, sitting in the waiting room of "the car place," typing away and realizing how glad I am that there is a complete absence of texting idiots in my immediate vicinity.  I think you all know what I mean.  Texting idiots, you know who you are.  Or sadly, perhaps you do not.

I'll give you an idea of what I am talking about.  I went to my favorite barber shop just the other day for a haircut, and as I sat in the barber's chair, a mother and her son came in and sat down to wait his turn.  The mother immediately whipped out her touch-screen phone of some sort and started shooting off texts and playing around with apps of some sort.  The kid was in the same boat - he sat there with a glazed look over his beady little eyes, texting away with both thumbs, nearly drooling through his mouth-breathing little...well, mouth.

I don't think the two of them ever spoke as they sat there.  I don't know - perhaps I am being too critical, as they could have been texting each other.  I highly doubt that, though.  I have these vague memories of actually speaking with my parents when I was young, and I am absolutely certain we never ignored one another while glued to our cell phones - we had no cell phones at that time.  What a boring, deprived existence we suffered through back then...no cell phones, no texting ability, only the ability to talk and build one-on-one, genuine relationships.  How did we ever do it?

I wax sarcastic, of course.  I happen to think that we are, indeed, turning into a nation of texting idiots - a nation full of people who have almost forgotten how to communicate face to face, and are becoming increasingly isolated and lonely.  Calling us a bunch of texting idiots is a little harsh, as we really are much more sad, tragic and lamentable than we are "idiots".  I have only bit of advice for us as individuals, though...I think it is the only thing we can do to reverse course and return to lives of genuine communication and fulfilling relationships:

Stop texting.