Before We Had Phones, We Had...

☕ Coffee on the Rabbit Trail | Off Topic, On Purpose Blog Series

Post 03: “Before We Had Phones, We Had…”

Before we had phones in our pockets…
Before we texted “I’m here” from the driveway…
Before we Googled every passing thought…

We had other magic.

We had scribbled notes folded into squares — passed in secret between desks like treasure maps.
We had answering machines with blinking red lights that made our hearts skip.
We had rotary phones with tangled cords that could stretch across rooms during long late-night talks.

Before we had instant messages…
We had carefully crafted away messages on AIM.
We had decorated folders full of printed song lyrics and magazine cutouts.
We had pen pals and diary locks and Lisa Frank stickers that said, this is mine.

Before we had Google Maps…
We had scribbled directions on napkins.
We had “turn left after the gas station” and parents who swore they knew a shortcut.
We had road trip mix CDs and paper maps so big they could double as blankets.

Before we had TikTok…
We had camcorders and home videos with shaky zooms and background laughter.
We had cassette tapes recorded from the radio (shhh! don't talk — it's my favorite part).
We had mall photo booths and disposable cameras with exactly 27 chances to make a memory.

And you know what?
We still smiled.
We still laughed.
We still had fun — in a slow, stretched-out kind of way.

We weren’t distracted by updates or caught in comparison loops.
We were present. Messy. Glorious. Bored sometimes — but even that had a beauty to it.

So if life feels too fast right now, maybe this is your permission to slow it down a little.
Unplug. Reconnect the old-fashioned way.
Write something. Print a photo. Call someone. Daydream. Wander.

There’s something sacred in remembering who we were before the buzz.
And something powerful in knowing we can still be that person — curious, creative, present.

You don’t need a screen to be seen.
You don’t need a post to matter.

Before we had phones…
We had each other.
And we still do.