It’s 2010 and the communication capacity of social networking is far beyond what I could have imagined 10 years ago. In just this past year I have learned so much about social media, I have connected with a lot of people from my past, and I have been able to take advantage of social media to promote a creative outline of mine.

Almost my entire family, extended family, and extended in-law family members are on some form of the Internet. Because of this, I have so many easy ways to connect with them. Whether it is emailing my mother-in-law, connecting with my grandmothers on Facebook, keeping up with cousins in other cities, or receiving new pictures of my nephew on my Blackberry, I feel completely connected.

This brings me to my next though. Just as I see the value of receiving a letter or card in the mail, a phone call is just as important in these days of electronic communication. Often, a phone call gets put on the back burner or replaced with a text, email, or chat. Both forms (mail and phone calls) of “older” communication methods are sometimes forgotten. I am blessed to have my parents, my sister, and brothers in a 40 mile radius. Sometimes, I might take advantage of this close proximity and neglect to pick up the phone as often as I should.

I am deciding to make a conscious effort to pick up the phone and make some calls. I always feel good after I talk with someone I haven’t talked to in a while and there is so much more that comes out of a phone conversation as opposed to a text, email, or chat. I want to get off the phone with my friends and family with a better sense of connection. I wouldn’t really describe myself as a “phone” person and I am definitely not a “chatty” person as opposed to my husband, but I think it is worth the extra effort. So, friends and family, look forward to more phone calls from me and feel free to call me too! Even if I don’t have anything important to say, I might just want to say “Hi”!

Who have you thought about calling lately but have put it off? We probably all think about someone or are thought about by someone more often than we know.