Don’t Like the Telephone

Well, not right now…

It became the deliverer of very bad news this pass week. This not the first time I received bad news over the phone nor will it be the last.

Ever notice how bad news starts out bad but ends worse? It's a difficult phrase spoken after an awkward pause. You realize after a few seconds that the news is bad but the news keeps getting worse. Reality sets in and you can’t believe what you just heard.

Here are some of the worst phrases I’ve heard over the phone:

“Can I speak to your mother, it’s about Grandma…”

“We found something on your MRI…”

“I just found out that my Dad…”

Oh, it isn’t always bad news. Sometimes the news is good. I also have to admit that I would rather receive bad news than no news. But Mr. Alexander Graham Bell, I must take exception to your invention for I cannot receive or send a hug.

Without a hug, the above words are almost too much to bear.