COVID-19 is wreaking havoc across the world and particularly starting strong in our neck of the woods. Across Puget Sound from us were the first coronavirus deaths in the United States. In February while King County was taking more drastic measures to avoid the spread of the virus, our area on the other side of the sound hadn't felt the chaos quite as much as we observed it. When people ask me now if I've experienced the novel coronavirus differently from the rest of the country because we're in a US hotspot, I tell them that it's quite the opposite. The changes I've experienced have happened at the same time as the rest of the country, as far as I can tell, and we were observing Seattle from a distance like everyone else... except that our distance was a bit closer, geographically speaking. Schools closed in King County earlier than in our area. The announcement of closure from our school districts came this last Friday, and our schools are currently scheduled to be closed until April 24 at the earliest... meaning our schools could be cancelled even longer than that. The day of that announcement was my first crazy grocery store trip, where everyone and their mom seemed to be shopping at the same time and shelves were suddenly less stocked than normal (toilet paper and hand sanitizer had been missing for a couple weeks).
Lucky for me, I've been practicing social distancing like a pro for awhile now. Pretty much since we moved here, my days have been spent primarily at home, with very few errands that would ever take me into town. For almost three months I've been practicing my favorite daily home yoga routine on YouTube, so gym closures are no biggie for me. If you need a good book, TV show, or movie recommendation I have a long list that I can even tailor to your preferences! I'd like to think that these viewing efforts were inspired for the benefit of others, for this very moment. *winky-face
One thing I've noticed about myself as social distancing becomes necessary and mobile connectedness because more essential, is that I have a couple mobile communication pet-peeves that have previous been like unspoken rules. Such a time as this calls for me to be more open about my discovered preferences.
1. Sending an an open-ended text gives me anxiety.
This was something I didn't quite realize I had a rule on until it happened one too many times. In my definition, an open-ended text is a text message that doesn't give you a sense of why someone is reaching out. Like a one word, "Hi" or "How are you?" with nothing else in the message. Or "Are you available?" Available for what, I might ask?
After much thought, I've discovered why these kinds of texts give me anxiety. This method of drawing someone into a conversation is EXACTLY how social media scammers start their messages. Once you respond, the scammers know you're online and vulnerable, and will then respond immediately with their wolf in sheep's clothing appeals on your kindness.
If I were teaching mobile communication etiquette, I would advise people to include their name if it's the first time you've ever written, and give a brief overview for your intentions. Maybe, for example, "Are you available to chat on the phone for 15 minutes to dish about that movie you recommended to me?" You don't have to say everything in one message, but give enough information that the reader knows what kind of response and time commitment to make.
Personally, sending me a message that just says, "Hi" gives me the heebie-jeebies, and I then feel rude (am I the rude one?) and don't know exactly what I'm getting myself into when I respond with, "How can I help you, Jane?"
2. If you call me and don't leave a message, I won't call you back.
Actually, I've had this rule for awhile and in some instances when it happens repeatedly and the person is confused at my lack of response, I verbalize this rule. So it's not exactly unspoken. Growing up I had a home phone line, and eventually our family owned a message machine for missed calls. Maybe if you didn't grow up in the era of land-lines, you don't realize that if you called someone they ONE) didn't know who was calling and TWO) had no way to know that you called unless you left a message asking them to call you back.
If no message is left on my phone, I'm going to assume that your purpose in calling me wasn't important enough for you to want me to call you back. Perhaps you figured the answer out and didn't need my help after all. Perhaps you pocket dialed me on accident. Either way, not my business if you didn't leave me a detailed description of why I had a missed call from you.
Now that you know, if either of these now expressly-written, personal rules are broken, I can assure you that my lack of response is not an attempt to improve social distancing and the spread of the coronavirus.
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