Who remembers literally having to remember dozens of phone numbers off the top of your head? With no internet to look it up one would either have to have a phone book handy or remember numbers in your head. Which is funny because one of the main numbers I remember learning was the movie theater movie line where you could get info about what movies where playing.
I find it hard to recall a contact number today. We get to use names, so that skill drops off quick.
Growing up, we had a wall mounted phone with an insane cord. Something like 15 to 20 feet so people could take a call and walk into the adjacent room.
One day, I wrote an important number next to the phone on the wall, and it started! Mom asked about it, and said something about writing on the wall being bad. I said something about the difference, because it is easy, right there, won't get lost..
She then put the school, family, few other things next to it.
Instant buy in! I remember feeling good about that, like we did something that matters and was unorthodox.
I took one last look at it before moving out and into my life:
There it was. Our lives on the wall next to the phone. That pizza place, family, services, church, schools, friends, and other bits: birthdays, various identifiers, locations.
When I left, that on the wall directory was damn near a square meter!
A phone book was right below on a little stand. Actually two: the local one, very small. And the yellow pages. Huge.
One day, my brother drank gasoline! I was the only one home and sure enough! The little green poison control sticker was on that wall, next to the phone. Called them and they told me what to do, until someone could respond.
