Textpectations

03 Apr Textpectations

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way.”

Those were the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens. What makes it one of the all-time greatest pieces of literature is that he could be talking about ANY place and time, and even topic, in history.

Therefore, today I propose that he’s talking about TEXTING! Yes, I said that I think Dickens is talking about texting. You did NOT mis-read me.

Specifically, I think Dickens is addressing textpectations. Don’t go to your dictionary. You won’t find it there. It’s a Kuzma-ism. It means “text expectations”.

Here are mine, in hopes it may communicate and create some reasonability for those I text, those that text me, and those who may one day be in textversation with me:

• I text because of how easy it is to drop a question, comment, or care note without having to bother someone with the time-intense necessary pleasantries a phone call draws out. I don’t expect that everyone texts for the same reasons.

• I converse through text only when invited to do so, whether directly or indirectly, by way of a response that invites longer interaction. Oftentimes, I might ask to transition such textversations to phone calls or face to face meetings.

• When I text you for the first time and receive a quick response, the bar is set for the future. I tend to expect a response to future texts, but please know that I do NOT expect an immediate response.

• I expect that your life is busy too; that you’re not waiting around for me to text you so that you can text me back right away. I expect the same understanding if I can’t get back to you right away.

What are some of your texpectations?