When did it change?

My first cellphone was a nokia 5110. That's the one with the aerial that could impale your inner thigh were you not careful enough. I remember being a very excited 17 year old who became quite absorbed with the way that words could be sent through the air, and boy did I make the words fly out of that nokia. More than anything I remember the thrill of waking up with messages on your phone - or the thrill of hearing your phone beep knowing that there are words waiting that were sent just for you. Sometimes I wouldn't read a message for about 10 minutes, because the anticipation was as exciting as the message.

So perhaps I am being slightly dramatic, but it's strange to remember those days and to think about how it has all changed. Today I got home from the shops and my phone had no envelope, and I smiled, put on the kettle for some tea, and was so relieved by the burden of not having to respond to anything or to anyone.

Words that used to fly now seem to strangle me.