“I’ve got that summertime, summertime sadness…”

5:13pm

Lana Del Rey’s smash hit reverberated over the radio, drowning out the monotonous stillness of the traffic that had rapidly engulfed me.

“S-s-summertime, summertime sadness”

5:14pm

Sweet, I killed a minute I thought to myself. Couple more songs and before I know it, I’ll be home in 20 minutes!

This was my routine and the routine I’m sure for many of us rushing to get back to the comforts of our homes. We flip on to our favorite radio station, plug in our iPods, and just enjoy the power that music can have in taking us to another world of dreams, stories, and thoughts.

Simply, it’s a great way to relieve some of that stress built up from sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours.

Or in the words of a pretty well known philosopher…

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”  – Confucius

But while listening to yet another re-run of “Summertime Sadness” last week,  I started to think of alternative ways in how I could spend these 20 minutes, 5 days a week.

And the idea that fired into my head was so simple.

I should call at least one person each day for this week. 

In a generation where Snapchats, Facebook chatting, and texting have become the norm for communication, the art of conversing over the phone has in many ways deteriorated. It’s become commonplace to immediately associate a phone call from a friend to besome form of emergency (big news, need for a favor, etc.) It’s almost a surprise when you receive a phone call.

And yes, there is a whole argument and discussion to be had about why and how communication has changed from all the technological advances in making our lives public, especially through the web.

But hey, maybe I just miss an old fashioned phone conversation. Where the questions and answers are not carefully crafted and edited. Where you can hear the sincereness and gratitude from the other person for taking 2min, 45 seconds, 15min to just talk and to listen.

It takes a little sacrifice. And it even takes a little courage. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but I can guarantee to you that it will be worth it, but for you and for the person whom you are calling.

So here’s my challenge for you again:

Call at least ONE different person each day for this entire week.

Whether you’re driving home from work, walking to class, or even taking a poop, put in a honest effort to press that green dial button. Even as you are reading this, come up with a list of people whom you haven’t connected with in a while and write it in your planner/iPhone/iCalender/Google Calender to call them. Or just be spontaneous and call someone when a name or face pops up in your mind. (Just don’t forget!)

So go forth my fellow Phone Champions and start dialing!

AL