My roommate just texted me...from the other room.

It seems like everyone and their grandmother has unlimited text messaging these days. I don't. As a result, I don't send or respond to extraneous text messages. I have an example. Let's say you thank me in a text. That's very nice, so I respond with "You're welcome. :)" Don't respond with a smiley! You're welcome. :) does not require a reply! How about when people send paragraphs worth of text messages, one right after the other? If you have that much to say, don't you think you should call me? Text messages are a commodity!

Last Monday my friend Laura expressed how frustrated she was by my restricted texting. She offered to pay for me to get an upgraded text message plan! I thought this was a hilarious joke, but then I realized she was serious. Before taking her up on her generous offer, however, I needed to find out the catch. "Does this mean I have to respond to every single one of your texts?" I asked her. She confirmed my suspicion so I had to decline.


As the end of each billing period draws near, I check my text usage and remaining allotment. Imagine my surprise later that day when--just one week before my new billing cycle--I learned I had hundreds of unused texts! I immediately texted Laura.

Panthea: I have 500 texts to use before next Monday so fire away with the texts.
Laura (in separate messages): Yayyyyyy! Haha that
Laura: Makes
Laura: My
Laura: Day!!
Laura: :) he he he

On Friday I updated her on my messaging status.

Panthea: Hurry! I have 200 texts left until Sunday!
Laura: O sweet tell me about every detail of ur day so far

So I did. She loved it.

This is how rumors get started.

I love my internship at Agency XYZ, which provides clinical mental health services to people living with severe and persistent mental illnesses.

Today, a sweet female member of the program pulled me aside and told me she'd been feeling dizzy and faint earlier in the day. I expressed concern and asked her to inform her primary care physician, whom she has an appointment with this upcoming Monday. "It's probably nothing serious, but tell your doctor just in case," I explained.

"Aww, you don't have to be worried about me," she reassured me, patting my arm. "You're like a mother hen. You'll make a good mother." This woman has melted my heart a few times, and this was one of them.

Suddenly, I heard another female member's voice shoot out from behind me. "Panthea, you're pregnant?"

I spun around on my heel, snorting out a laugh. "No!"

"Oh, good. Your education is important."

Sound advice. Thank you.