Thought provoking sentiments from our community.

Today, I was twice reminded what communication by voice to single people means to them. One of them is local and the other was heading from Newquay to Germany struggling with the death of her partner.

Because of my past work, I have over 10,000 phone numbers in my old paper and electronic notebooks, many going back to the 1970s including one from 1960.

So who is in your phone book? Are they alone in the world through divorce, death or life’s events? And when did you last pick up the phone and say to anyone ‘Hi are you still alive?’

As troubles across the world rumble through the pages and screens of our electronic devices, here is a positive suggestion: every day pick a random number in your phone book see if voice communication still works. Don’t text, don’t email, just talk with your voice. See if it the number is still working and the person is still okay. You can delete it if it is inactive, but if it is still active, you may put a smile on the face of someone from your past, and perhaps renew a friendship.

Jim Allen