Communication is Key

Days go by. Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. I'm not really sure how long it was before I ever called Andy The Trainer. In fact, I know he called me once, at Heather's insistence.

Those who are close to me (and some who aren't) know that I am terrible at using a telephone. It causes me a great deal of anxiety when I call someone. Please don't ask me to even order a pizza over the phone. What if I say the wrong thing??

I feel a great deal of pressure to 1) have something interesting to say, 2) not stumble over my words, and 3) not talk over the person on the other end. And then, of course, I get so focused on accomplishing those 3 things, that I end up not focusing on the conversation and ultimately failing to meet my telephone conversation goals. It's a vicious cycle, I know. But it is what it is.

As a teen, when I visited my dad's house, we'd always have pizza for dinner. We both knew the Domino's number by heart. But he likes using the phone about as much as I do. We'd wait each other out. I figured if he got hungry enough, he'd call. He'd say, "Whenever you are ready to eat, just call." I knew what he was trying to do....trying to stimulate my hunger. Cheater! I wasn't about to fall for it. Sometimes I won by leaving the room for long periods of time. That way he'd never know when I was coming back and he'd have to call. Sometimes he won by saying, "Call them." Dang! Got me again, Dad...got me again.

So I avoided calling Andy The Trainer. Nothing personal. But I have gotten into shape on my own before...I could do it again. Never mind the fact that I wasn't really motivated to do so (friends said I looked good), and I was enjoying the taste of pizza again. Hey - it had been a long time since I regularly ate that. Gimme a break.

However, when my "fat" jeans were getting too small, I realized it was time. But I really didn't want to call. Thank the Stars for texting. Texting must have been invented by someone like me. And online ordering. Technology is great.

9/9/09: "Hi Andy, this is Heather's friend Debbie. Let me know what your rate is and if you have availability on Monday Wed & or Friday late afternoon or evening."

His response: "Ummm Debbie....I know you were trying to get Adam!!!"

Oh geez. His name is ADAM. I can't even text right!

My response: "Dang. Andy, sorry about that."

Are you kidding me? I did it AGAIN. At this point I was ready to give up on all human communication. It's painfully obvious I was not genetically predisposed to two-way communication. But listening: that I can do...when I'm not worried about talking, that is.