Texting

Why is texting so important in society today? It seems as if it is a lifeline to the outside world, a link to those around us. It isn't though, it is just an easy way to contact those who are not in your immediate vicinity, a simple way to talk to them without uttering a word. To me, it is somewhat of a crazy obsession that i try to stop at every turn but never succeed in curing myself of the need for it. It is pure nonsense, and yet my hands are so familiar, so in-tune with it, that I can't seem to help myself. Every time I hear the zzzttt of the vibration or catch a glimpse of the screen lighting up, I reach for it without hesitation, not knowing what it says but feeling some sort of connection to the words nonetheless. It is almost like my mind has bonded with it, as if mind and phone have become intertwined. Absurd and pathetic, I know. What gets me most though, is the fact that nothing I do seems to be able to curb this unknown fascination with the cellular device. Nothing interesting really comes out of the texting conversations, so there isn't any real reason to get excited. Maybe it is because, during the day, it is my only way of contacting my boyfriend. He lives eightteen hours away, so any conversation we have is sweet, in a simple sort of way.  It is our only means of communication, until night-time when we talk on the phone. He is the only one I end up texting. It used to be that I would text a friend sitting right beside me, those unspoken words that cannot be said in the presence of others. As time passed, however, and I became more familiar with it, I became bored. I stopped texting my friends, unless they messaged me first. It brought a time of peace, a sense of accomplishment for me. I had overcome my texting obsession! Well, not quite. I still text my boyfriend, almost religiously it seems, but even that has its limits. I don't text in class or during work, so we are limited to the time between classes and during lunch. After school is a time of constant messages, until the time we both head off to work. After work, the only text message I receive is one giving me permission to call my boyfriend, an acknowledgement that if I want to talk to him rather than read a short version of what he wants to say, that I may do so. After that, the phone gets plugged into the charger, and is not picked up until morning. Yet it remains on all week, as I do not own an alarm clock so my phone serves as one.When the weekend comes, the phone gets turned off before bed, so that nothing may interfere with my rest.When I first started texting, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, but now I have lost that childish interest in it and use it only when necessary. I text my mother and my boyfriend, nobody else. Aside from those times, it remains in my purse, lonely and awaiting the time when I may rekindle the bond. If I have my way, the bond will continue to deteriorate as I grow older, as more important aspects of life distance me from the frivolous activity of texting.