Pagers: 143 Meant I Love You

Wearing a pager on your belt made you feel important. Receiving a page meant someone needed you. And decoding numeric messages was an art form. 143 = I love you. 911 = Emergency. 07734 upside down = hello.

Communication required creativity, payphones, and patience. Getting a page wasn't annoying—it was exciting. We didn't have constant connectivity, and honestly? Life was less stressful because of it.