Remember life before cellphones? It was nice

Believe it or not kids, there was life before cellphones.

I know I sound crazy, but I am not.

As long ago as the late ’90s (I am talking 1990s not 1890s) and early 2000s, people were not tethered to their Apple master or Android king.

Everything back then was off the grid.

We could do stuff and go places without being reached.

And for the most part, we lived to tell about.

There was a pay phone on nearly every corner and all the coolest kids wanted a land line of their very own.

Oh how fun it was to call random people in the phone book and confuse them with our antics.

“Do you have Prince Albert in a can?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you better let him out. (click)”

“Is your refrigerator running?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you better catch it.”

The savvy ones would dial *69 and bust us. A lot of people were not savvy.

What’s the point of prank calling someone’s cellphone? Your phone number is just going to show up.

This is going to sound even crazier, but long before that, people use to call each other via an operator.

From what I’ve been told, they were called “telephone operators.” The fancy ones were called “switch board operators” and they worked switch boards.

They said things like “please hold” and “I will connect you.”

The Googles, the Twitters and the Facebooks were not our backyard, but people seemed to get on pretty well.

No, I am not a fantasy writer.

This actually happened. For real. Seriously.

No joke.

There was a time and a place where people talked to each other over meals and didn’t have pinky finger cramps from all the texting … so much texting.

Most people had to wait to talk to other people until they got home.

It was kind of nice. Contact this reporter at 937225-2384 or email Amelia. Robinson@coxinc.com.