Check Those Messages!

I have a serious problem with checking my messages...and it's now starting to bite back.  I remember skipping into the house as a little one, racing to check the messages on the answering machine.  Did a friend call? Was there a message from a grandparent? It was always so much fun! Now, when I see the flash that there's a new voicemail on my phone - I press ignore and move on.  It's pesky and I'd just prefer calling the person back rather than listening to a voicemail.  My message count is up to 7 and before yesterday was 9.  Helppppp!! I've handled most of the missed calls - they are now old and I don't really feel like rehashing through old messages.  So I'll let the ticker keep ticking...

Except, sometimes I miss a call and don't even notice there's a new voicemail (who can distinguish between 7 and 8?).  Yesterday morning as I was settling into reading my blogs, I hear someone trying to open the door.  I look up and it is Lydia, the woman we met with last weekend about helping to clean our house...bathrooms, vacuuming 2 floors, the gross stuff.  My mind races - WHAT are you doing here?!? We hadn't scheduled a cleaning, it was merely a meeting to get an estimate!  I open the door with a smile (thankfully wearing decent yoga pants and a bra...) and she says "I here to clean. You get my message?"  Hmmmm, crap.  I didn't get her message that blatantly says "I'm coming to clean tomorrow.  See you at 8."  My voicemail got me back!!! We weren't expecting her, had actually cleaned ourselves that weekend and really didn't need or want her there.  I couldn't just send her away holding a cleaning bucket, so I asked her just to clean the bathrooms and that we'd be in touch next month.

It was awkward, weird and could have all been avoided by checking those darn messages!