I put a comma after cheese...I'm going to keep saying "good-bye."

Good evening!

I realize we live in a fast paced, gotta have it right now sort of world.  I freak out if my children don't answer a text within five minutes.  But I've forgotten how I'd disappear between the hours of school ending and dinner starting.  My mother would have no idea where I was, but I knew if I wasn't sitting at the dinner table at a certain time, she'd blow the whistle and if I didn't hear the whistle, that meant I was too far away from home and I was sure to lose TV privileges for a week.

Have I mentioned the whistle? No?  That's a story for another day.

Anyway, I realize we live in a world where things move fast. They have to just so we can all keep up.  (Keep up with what?  If the thing or person we're all trying to keep up with would take a day off maybe this would be a better world and we wouldn't have to have PSAs on TV talking about texting and driving or talking on the phone and driving, or doing your homework while driving.)

we've cut out a lot of manners in the interest of moving more quickly.  We send e-cards because buying, addressing, and mailing a real card takes too much time.  (Frankly, finding the stamp for the card would befuddle me for at least an hour.)  We send emails instead of thank you notes...again, because it's too hard to find the address book/stamp/pen.  We text instead of calling because actually talking to a human takes time.  You can text or email anyone any time of the day or night.  I can email or text whatever thought I have and the person I'm contacting can get back to me when they have time.  And hey, if I don't hear them...well, I tried, right?

We message people on Face book because that's where we are most of the time.

I'm not complaining.  I'm right there with you.  I hate answering the phone at home because I do it all day long.  People know that about me.  It's easier to get me by text, email, face book.  I use abbreviations, too, because typing out "Laughing out Loud" takes too long.

But there is something I noticed lately that I cannot stand for.

No one says good-bye anymore.

Think I'm kidding.  Have a phone conversation.  Now, when you end the conversation, we used to say, "good-bye" or "see ya later"  or something of the like.  Not anymore.  I make dozens of phone calls a day, and I take even more.  I can't count the number of times I'm in the midst of saying, "Have a great day, good-bye" and the person on the other end has already hung up on me.

I get this from customers and coworkers alike.  It doesn't matter what the topic is, it seems like my phone calls all go like this:

"Okay, Mr. Smith, I have you down for 4Pm on Thursday."

"Okay." 

"thank you, have a great day..."  But by this point I'm talking to dead air because Mr. Smith is gone.

Did I miss a memo?  Is this the new thing now, sort of like dropping that comma after the second to last thing in a list?  (You know:  I'll have pasta, wine, cheese, and meatballs for dinner.  Now we don't put a comma after cheese.)

Well, I, for one, am resisting.  I still put a comma after cheese and I'm going to say good-bye, or something like it, to end a phone conversation and if it kills me, the people I talk to are going to respond in kind.

If I can keep them from hanging up on me!