Join me for Installment #2  as I take us on a nostalgic trip down memory lane with my three-part Retro Blog Series, where I use my Word Of The Year, “Savor,” to reflect on simpler times.

I’m writing this series over here at my blog, Musings & Glimpses, instead of my main site, Grace Filled Moments, because, as some of my blogging friends and readers know, this is where I share my cozy, homey things, recipes, and midlife musings.

📟 The “Wait” Factor: When Patience Had a Curly Cord

In our world of 2026, “waiting” has become a dirty word. If a webpage takes three seconds to load, we’re tapping our feet. If a text stays on “Read” for ten minutes, we wonder if we’ve been ghosted. But for those of us who grew up in the 60’s, 70s and 80s, waiting wasn’t a glitch—it was the lifestyle.

The 20-Foot Tether 📞

Remember the kitchen wall phone? It was usually a beige or “harvest gold” behemoth with a coiled cord that had been stretched out so many times it looked like a pile of toasted Slinkys.

Then: If you wanted to talk to your best friend about your crush, you had a choice: speak in front of your entire family while your brother made “kissing noises” in the background, or perform the “Great Stretch.” You’d pull that cord around the corner, into the hallway closet, or behind the basement door, sitting on the cold linoleum just to have thirty seconds of semi-privacy.

Now: We have encrypted, wireless, noise-canceling everything. We can talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time. But do we actually listen the same way? Back then, when you finally got your turn on the phone, you stayed put. You were tethered to the conversation.

The Drugstore Gamble 📸

Before the “delete” button existed, every photo was a financial and emotional investment.

Then: You’d take a roll of film—maybe 24 exposures if you were lucky—and drop it off at the local drugstore. Then came the “Wait.” Three to five days of pure anticipation. When you finally picked up those “Double Prints,” it was like Christmas. Half the photos were blurry, one was just your dad’s thumb, and three were of the back of someone’s head—but the four that turned out? Those went in a physical album that we still cherish today.

Now: We have 50,000 photos in a cloud we never visit. We’ve traded the “Wait” for the “Scroll,” and I can’t help but wonder if we’ve lost the magic of the surprise along the way.

The Art of the Pen-Pal Pace ✉️

Long-distance communication used to have a scent and a texture.

Then: Getting a letter was an event. You’d recognize the handwriting on the envelope before you even saw the return address. You’d save the letter, read it three times, and spend an afternoon crafting the perfect response on stationery that probably had a kitten or a rainbow on it.

Now: We send a “thinking of you” text with a heart emoji. It’s efficient, sure. But it doesn’t sit on a nightstand for a week, reminding you that someone, somewhere, took twenty minutes out of their day just for you.

Savoring the Silence

Maybe 2026 is the year we bring back a little bit of that “Wait” factor. Not the frustration of it, but the intention of it. There’s something beautiful about a world that doesn’t demand an instant response—a world where the best things are worth the three-day turnaround—savoring my 2026 Word Of The Year Savor with some nostalgia. Won’t you join me?

You can check out the other installments: ⬇️

A “Savoring” Retro Blog Series Installment #1 | Saturday Morning Rituals: When Cartoons Were a Destination, Not a Preference

I’m partying with these AMAZING Blog Hop | Link Up Party hostesses!