It was extraordinarily quiet at work today. No one else in the office, and for whatever reason, only a few phone calls, even fewer walk-ins and only one unscheduled visit. I actually got work done today! In the office!

Why? No texts to answer every three seconds, and my cell phone wasn’t ringing and beeping and buzzing every five minutes. I forgot it at home. Left it on the charger late last night and just rushed right out the door do work.

Best. Day. Ever.

I’m compulsive, you see. If the phone rings or buzzes with a call or text, I must answer it. I am psychologically incapable of not answering it. I am even further psychologically incapable of not responding. Even when the text says, “Hi.” I am compelled to text “Hi” back, and probably with a smiley face because, hey, I’m just neurotic that way. Even though I realize people are just texting me because they’re sitting in some waiting room bored to death or stuck in traffic. It’s not a real “Hi.” It’s like air-kisses you get from people you don’t really like, but have to participate in some form of what appears to be affection when greeting them because… because….  Why?

But not today. No cell phone, no one I have to be nice to just because. No one I have to immediately drop everything I’m doing (and worse yet thinking, or worse even yet, writing) because there’s no little pocket dictator demanding instant attention. But here’s the really cool part: When I got home, I picked up my cell phone and found all the texts I’d missed and replied to them all — Hi!  🙂  — and then I saw all my missed calls, picked up my phone messages and returned those calls too.

And it hit me.

This is just like the good old days, when we had answering machines! You remember… we went away to work or shopping or whatever, and when we got home, we listened to the answering machine. If someone called while we were out… OH WELL. And truth be told, the iPhone is a way better answering machine than the old fashioned one that you have to punch through and listen to, and weep a little because some people leave an entire monologue rather than just say, “Hey, it’s Joan. Call me back.” Which is really the ONLY information I need on an answering machine.

Leave the iPhone at home. On purpose. What a concept. An iAnswering Machine. It’s brilliant. It’s a big, huge, exhale of WHEW-I-had-the-whole-day-to- myself.

Yes. Just leave the damn phone at home.

It’s genius, I tell you, genius.