When I was little, we used to speak to our English rellies over the phone.
We used to have speak loudly.
Shout almost.
Long distance calls reminded us that they were, in fact, covering long distances.
I’d not met some of The Englands until I came to the UK for the first time.
That’s a long time of yelling down a phone and being posted photos and letters.
Now I’m The Englands and people yell down Skype at me.
Well, no.
Only two people yell.
Everyone else realises that it’s just like being on the phone.
The current being on the phone.
Not the being on the phone of my youth.
Those two people…
Any guesses who they may be?
No prizes for guessing I’m referring to my parents.
They’re old.
They don’t get it.
They can just turn up the volume if they need to hear me better.
Mine is already up – I don’t need the shouting.
But they’re old.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
So I decided to hop a plane and speak in an indoor volume for a bit.
I’m in the air right now, in fact.
I’ve teed this up to post by itself – which I’m hoping it does.
Or I’ll be angry.
They’re old.
And sometimes that means they scare us with reminders of their mortality.
In recent weeks, some people have sent me private messages asking if I’m ok.
Based on the tone of my posts.
I’m fine.
My life has been very up and down in the last month.
But I’m fine.
Someone else hasn’t been.
But I’m on my way to hold him…
And see him…
And not yell through layers of long distance at him.
When I was younger, those long distance calls to The Englands were illustrative.
It must be so far away to England if you have to yell over the phone.
But I have skype.
I have facebook messenger.
I have whatsapp.
I have iMessage.
Things may freeze and stall, but images are crisp and clear and readily available.
That is illustrative too.
You’re only ever 24 hours away.
My brother wrote these words to me recently.
And I close my eyes and think of them when I wish I were there.
Right now, I’m fewer than 24 hours away.
And long flights are fine by me anyway – I’ll watch all the movies I’ve missed.
Hug you soon.
#yourewelcome
#addressallwellwishestobigal
#iguessillfindoutifthishaspostedonceihitmelbourne
#luckyilikewinterseeingasimmissingsummer
#iloveyoudaddyo
x
Shul of Tash 