the forgotten art of the "drop-in"

I have several friends who spend more time facebooking, MSNing, Skyping and texting each other than they do speaking to one another in person. I admit if you are living in another region or are overseas or just extremely busy then this new means of communication serves its purpose as a cheap, portable and efficient method of keeping in touch. But even in that case it should not be the sole basis of communication in any relationship. In one case in particular a friend lives less than 400m from the loved one she is chatting to online, most of the day and night. This seems rather strange when they could actually see, interact and talk in person.

I much prefer, and make an effort to rekindle the dying art of the unannounced “drop-in” visit. My victims are always pleasantly surprised and more appreciative of the visit in person, out of the blue. Try it. If you are in the neighbourhood of a friend, just make a random house call and make your friend put the kettle on for you - even if you only have 20 minutes. They will appreciate it, you won’t have to spend $5 on a fancy espresso at a café and spend 15 minutes waiting for it. You won’t have to send 5 text messages beforehand to tell your friend exactly what your ETA down to the last millisecond is, or on the otherhand sit and wait in a coffee shop alone staring at your mobile phone waiting for them to arrive...but that is another story in itself.

C.K.