E T PHONE HOME

The USA has a Declaration of Independence so why not individuals? I carry a cell phone with me all day. It is on, and the ringer is set to loud so I don't miss calls from people who want to talk to me. Every one of my family members also has a cell phone. They leave theirs at home, or in the car, or deep within their purse, or with the ringer turned off, or they give it to a 2 year old as a bribe. When I call other people, a recorded message tells me that they can't come to the phone right now and I should please leave a message because it is important to them. If it's so important, why don't they answer in the first place? Because they value their independence and their right to not be interrupted more that your right to find out what you need to know. They may be on to something there. Tomorrow, and maybe for the immediate future, I am going to declare my independence too...independence from being immediately available to any and everybody who wants to talk to me. So, when you get my message, know that "I can't come to the phone right now but your message is extremely important to me, so leave your name, number, and the time of your call, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. "