Recent comments in /f/LifeProTips

MarioPfhorG t1_j5rpv4t wrote

Reply to LPT never delete voicemails of loved ones, especially on holidays. by WindowMoon

This is also why I suggest people take a short video every Christmas or birthday. No matter how stupid the hair is, or bad the outfits are. You just never know when it’s going to be someone’s last.

I took a birthday video many years ago and someone who’s now passed was in the video. Turns out I was the only one who had ever taken any video of that person. Everyone else only had photos. It’s the only recording of their voice we have, even if the focus wasn’t on them.

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StaceOdyssey t1_j5rpf6q wrote

Reply to LPT never delete voicemails of loved ones, especially on holidays. by WindowMoon

This is really touching. Honestly, it made me tear up a little bit because mine are alive and I don’t know if I will ever hear it from them because they don’t want to acknowledge that they had an oops kid from before their current spouse, but it warms my heart to hear that other parents would actually say this to their kids. ❤️

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peripheralist t1_j5rkulz wrote

Reply to LPT never delete voicemails of loved ones, especially on holidays. by WindowMoon

I recently pulled an old dictaphone out of a box and remembered I had a recording of my grandparents singing happy birthday to me on voicemail on my twenty fifth birthday. It took an afternoon to get it off the device. I had to boot up an old windows seven device and randomly download drivers off a YouTube video and scramble a USB mini cable. Brought tears of joy and love.

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MinnieShoof t1_j5rkp4u wrote

Reply to LPT never delete voicemails of loved ones, especially on holidays. by WindowMoon

This is very novel advice… but also understand that part of the grieving process is knowing to let go.

I had my mother’s voicemails saved to an old iPhone but eventually got a new one and we turned in my wife’s old device but I kept mine because of the voicemails. A little down the road I had an employee fall on some hard time and she didn’t have a phone (but had a sim) to keep in touch so I offered her my old one. I cleared everything off except those specific voicemails and I told her as such. I eventually left the company suddenly and when I finally ran in to her the topic got around to the phone. She said about a week after I left it got damaged and she was unable to recover it or contact me, so…

I realized I hadn’t listened to them in years. I kept them as more of a charm. Part of me never expected to get that phone back, and I was a little sad at first but we ended our conversation and I felt a little relieved.

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hsvsunshyn t1_j5rjvoh wrote

Reply to LPT: calling someone first time on the phone and no answer, LEAVE A MESSAGE by skunksmasher

Or, if you are calling someone's cell phone, send a text. Just a quick "Hi Arthur, this is Slartibartfast. Calling to ask if you have seen the mice." Or whatever.

If you really need to reach the person, do both, especially if you are not sure their age. Younger people (based on my experience) tend not to listen to voicemails, and older people sometimes are not comfortable texting. This is less true than it was a few years ago, but can still be applicable depending on the individual.

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faker2425 t1_j5rjupe wrote

Reply to LPT never delete voicemails of loved ones, especially on holidays. by WindowMoon

My dad used to call all the time and I wouldn’t always answer. He would leave messages frequently, and I would save them to remind myself to call back and to call more often. They were honestly a source of some stress for me, but when he suddenly passed away last year out of nowhere I found that I now have recordings of him just talking, singing happy birthday, etc. I treasure them now, definitely save some voicemails from loved ones because you never know.

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