Thank You, Alexander Graham Bell

Today's post is on the topic of the telephone. A marvel of the 19th century, the telephone was first patented on 14 February 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was one of many inventors of his time who worked on the idea of being able to transmit sound waves across great distances, and in fact there are claims that Elisha Grey reached the patent office earlier to submit his idea for using water as the transmitting medium for a telephone. However, we quite clearly use wires and electricity to transmit our voices across the world today (imagine a cell phone full of water- convenient for when you leave it in your pocket and run it through the wash, I guess) as Bell's idea quickly became the accepted model for telephone communication everywhere.


Imagine using one of these first telephones. The building suspense as you wait for your call to be answered, the thrill when someone on the other end of the line picks up and- to the wonder and amazement of all those who have gathered to see this modern marvel at work- you are connected, talking to someone far away, saying words to them, and then hearing their response with only seconds of delay! What a world, folks!

Over the past 133 years, telephones have changed quite a bit from Bell's original design. We no longer rely on wires and switchboard operators, but instead bounce our voices off of satellites and back down to earth with reckless abandon, hastily making calls and sending messages and hardly ever thinking about what an amazing tool we have at our fingertips. And yet sometimes I think I catch a glimpse of some of the anxiousness and anticipation of a 1800's phone call.

I'm living in a lot of long-distance relationships currently. Thank gracious sakes for the telephone! I spend hours a week talking to my family back home, telling them I love them and catching up with their lives. Another great thing about the phone is that I can pick it up at any time and call Keith and just remind him that I love him, or whatever such nonsense I feel compelled to share. And so I call, and I wait with bated breath as it rings once... and in the pause that follows my heart stops, hoping beyond all hope that Keith will pick up. It rings again, and once more my world stops. No, a second pause passes, a third ring comes through... and I become tense and anxious again, wondering at each pause if this will be the time he picks up, and becoming more and more despondent as each ring goes by with no answer.

"Hey, this is Keith. Um... leave a message if you want." The disappointment of reaching voice mail is momentarily crushing. And then I pick myself up while the automated lady voice tells me how to leave a message, to blurt out a quick, quirky message to Keith usually along the lines of "Hey, baby! I love you lots, and just miss you like crazy... um... call me!" or "Fred! You are being naughty and not answering the phone." And then I return to my life, content in the knowledge that within the next few hours he'll call me back.

But joy of all joys- sometimes after one or two or three rings, waiting with my heart all knotted up and anxious, he'll pick up with a "hey, cutie face!" And conversation begins, and I am reminded of just how dizzy I get with love for this boy. Just talking on the phone with him makes my day all sunshiney and brilliant. Honestly, just thinking about him puts me into a ridiculously good mood most of the time. It helps that I'm in a good mood most of the time anyways, but Keith just heightens and strengthens that emotion, bringing me to a new level of bliss.

And so I take the opportunity today to say "Thank you, Alexander Graham Bell. Thank you for making my life just a bit more blissful."