I just called to say hi.

I just called to say I love you

I just called to say how much I care

I just called to say I love you

And I mean it from the bottom of my heart

The lyrics of this song came flooding back to me yesterday. I was staring at my phone wondering something. There was a programme on TV called Stop In the Name of Love. The organizers went on the streets flagging people down asking them a real simple question – if this was your last day on earth, who would you call to say I love you? What a brilliant idea. God knows how rare those calls really are and how much we really need them. When was the last time you received a call or email or message from someone out of the blue?

When asked, they usually tell you they’re there ‘just to say hi’. But make no mistake about it; ‘hi’ isn’t all they are saying. In between the letters “H” and the “I” is: “Hey, I’m thinking of you. Here I am. I care about how you’re doing. I want to establish a connection with you.”…. so yeah.. Hi ;-)

When I’m lucky enough to receive such a call, it usually leaves me feeling loved, appreciated and infinitely more content with life. These people who call just to say hi – they become important to me. They care about me, and I too care for them in return. They are mentally added to a list of ‘People who are important in my life’. Additions to this list are usually far and wide in between for me. Needless to say, it isn’t a very long list either. I know I’m being cynical, pessimistic or guarded in that sense. But the ones that get on that list are usually those who’ve either proven themselves to be true of heart, or stood the test of time. Usually, these two come hand in hand. As a consolation, those who get on the list are almost never removed from it.

But I started wondering “Whose list am I on? Am I important to anybody? Do I matter to anyone?” Other than my immediate family, I didn’t really know for sure. What if I’m not on the list of people who are on mine? What if I’m caring for people who don’t care about me at all?

I believe love is in built into all of us. I think it’s usually hard not to want to reciprocate when we are shown love by another person. We care about those who care for us and the ones we want to be cared by. If there’s any reason we stop caring, it’s because we believe they don’t. If I’m not on the list of some people, could it be because I have failed to show that I do & still care?

The TV show started to make more sense to me now than before.

Excuse me. I need to go make a couple of phone calls and say hi to some people.