This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
I was walking the dog on the Downs this morning, looking at the glorious views and pondering life, as you do, and it occurred to me how, sometimes, the smallest things can make a such a difference. Take WhatsApp for instance. A good while ago now, Grace’s husband and my lovely stepson set up a family WhatsApp for the four of us and I can’t tell you what a difference it has made to my life, particularly my evenings. I love it when I’m sitting watching TV and my phone pings and it’s my grandson letting everyone know he’s home safely or, more likely, sending a pic of the latest trendy bar he’s in! Or maybe Grace, confirming arrangements or stepson saying he’s stuck on the bloody train again.
It’s wonderful then to be able to have a conversation, makes me feel as though there’s someone else in the house, and I’m not alone with just the dog to talk to, although she does, of course, agree with everything I say….come to think of it, so did my darling husband! In this instance, hurray for social media.
GRACE
Husband has just taken himself off FaceBook – for the second time, but I think he means it now. And I am sorely tempted. Recently I scan the Newsfeed and end up feeling a tiny bit deflated. Everyone else appears to be having an amazing life (which of course I know in my heart of hearts is simply not true as we all have our ups and downs) but it makes me feel like a staid dull person. OK, I’m not the CEO of a major corporation, an award winning author, or a supermodel, but I’m doing OK in the happiness stakes. However, I definitely agree with Marvellous Mother In Law about our family WhatsApp. It is so convenient to be able to message several people at one time. And the less time I spend on my mobile the better as far as I’m concerned. It used to be just the millennials who were glued to their screens, now we all seem to be fixated with social media. Oh yes, and you can also make free phone calls and send free images using WhatsApp.
ANNABEL
I have 4 children so a ‘Fam Chat’ is great for communication with them all at one time. Also I can see if everyone has read the message by swiping my message to the side so no excuses that they did not know it was their Uncle’s birthday or any other important date in the calendar. I also have group chats with my Bridge playing girlfriends to fix up our next play date etc. My daughters are very good at creating a group for an event e.g. if we are all going on holiday together. This means we can all get any information that is universally needed, we can chat about flight times that suit all of us, and when on holiday we share our pictures. Sending pictures via what’s app is easier, quicker and gives better quality than any other method.
DID YOU KNOW? You don’t need to type your WhatsApp messages. Simply press the microphone icon and dictate. Great when you have a lot to say and not enough time to use the keys!