I have to add... There's almost a mystical quality to it. I haven't spoken to a close cousin in 10 years and yet he calls my phone in the dead of the night and hangs up before the beep. I return the call within a month. I get the beep. No message. A month later, he calls back. beep. No message. This unspoken connection has been going on for 10 years. We are communicating on a different level than the rest of you. Soon, we will take over the world.

If I know you well enough that your call might be important I've told you before:

"Don't leave voicemail. I get too many that are a waste of time to bother sorting through them. If it's important text that it's important and I'll call back when I can. If not I'll see you called and get back eventually."

If I haven't had that conversation with you I really don't give a care if you ever get a hold of me.

Imo voicemail is outdated tech. If you really need to call and I don't answer just leave a text.

yeah this happens to me at work... I don't pick up the call when it's certain boomers who will talk my ear off about something that could've been 1 or 2 simple messages... they don't want to leave a record of what they said I think.

If I'm available and in an okay mood, I'll pick up the first time you call.

If it's important and I don't answer, call a second time. I will certainly answer the second time.

And if people wake me up (night-shifter with daytime sleep schedule) calling for stupid reasons too many times in a short amount of time, guess who's phone gets turned off and set in another room for a few days?