Some of my best conversations happen at work. KSUX midday on-air radio personality, and all-around rock star, Josie Cooper and I were having a conversation about a work-related text I sent to her on a Saturday night. It would be about a can’t miss investment if we were financial advisors. In our case, it was a song I discovered on a tv show. If you have read this column before, you know that show was “Yellowstone”. 

She said she deleted the text. I said, “but it was for work. Do you delete all my messages? How do you remember all that important stuff I sent you? Man, I am never going to give you a stock tip over text.”

She loves having zero texts and zero emails in her digital files. Since this is being printed for mass consumption, I won’t admit how many work emails I have. I also have texts dating back to before Cone Park opened.

Josie said there is no way I need messages from 2015. I looked up some of those epic conversations. Way back then, the Huskers were poised for a football championship, and I had countless discussions with Moose if the dress going viral really was gold and white! Those texts are gold, Jerry! Gold!

I had a point to prove. I brought up a great convo from that year on my phone. Whoa. Sparky! I haven’t talked to Sparky in a long time! We worked on a few fundraising efforts. Great guy. Moved to Sioux Falls. I shot him a quick text. A follow-up to a back and forth on June 14^th 2015. “How’s it going, Sparky?” Within a minute, he responded. He’s doing great, has a wife and three kids. I text back, “Whoa. You have three kiddos, that’s great!” I didn’t even know he had one child. I missed a lot of action in his life these last six and a half years.

I saw the three text bubbles. We really hit it off. “So, are you coming to town and want to come hang out or what?” I tapped back with, “No plans. Just wanted to see how you were doing.”

At this point in the conversation when you haven’t talked or text someone in more than 2,300 days, I got the tone that maybe Sparky thought I was in failing health, having a midlife crisis, or I wanted to crash on his sofa because my wife kicked me out. Maybe because of something silly I wrote in Siouxland Magazine.

Sparky was concerned. I guess that happens when you wait a third of the way to a score, or seven years, to check in with him. I’m glad I did. I’m thrilled I can go back and look at conversations from back when I had hair. Ok, not that long. It was more fun than scrolling through angsty media.

Heck, maybe there’s a nice café between Sioux City and Sioux Falls. We can meet there and leave our phones in the car.

I believe my phone’s storage is full for some reason.

Tony Michaels

Text me – I’ll keep it for at least 7 years.