The People We Meet

One of the best places to meet nice women is Joanne Fabrics.  They have this aisle where shoppers wait to get checked out, and sometimes it moves a little slow.  There hasn't been one time when I haven't met someone kind and funny, and I actually look forward to checking out because of it.  The most common question is, "What are you making?"  The answers are interesting and varied, and I always learn something.

Yet another article in this month's Liguorian Magazine hit the nail on the head.  It spoke about how we have to have instant access to everything, and how we tend not to ask another living human being about much of anything.  We just google it and away we go.  That includes medical advice and countless other queries that we want to make.  There's nothing wrong with using today's technology for assistance -- there are things I've learned by using google or bing that I would have had a hard time finding out any other way.  So kudos to these search engines for that.

But there are times when we need to keep ourselves connected to others, times when a phone call would serve just as well as a text message or a tweet.  There are times when the sound of a human voice or the company of a real human being is preferable to cold machinery.

We need to take stock of ourselves from time to time, especially to determine for ourselves if we are spending too much time with machines and not enough time with people.  If our family members are complaining about it, that would be a clue.  If we don't seem to have time to get anything done, that would be a clue.  If we are staying up at night later than we should, that would be a clue.  If we fly into a panic when a device isn't working, that would be a clue.

Today's technology is supposed to add to our lives, not take away from it.  So I include myself in this admonishment -- tune off sometimes and just breathe in some fresh air, take a walk, read a real book, stop at the library, listen to some music, write a letter, make a card, make a phone call.  Experience life firsthand.  Thank God for His goodness. 

P.S. I forgot.  Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, there will not be a new posting.  I'm going to my class reunion committee meeting tonight and then spending the night at my sister's house in Westlake.  Won't be back until around 2:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday.  But I'll be back -- ready to go strong -- on Thursday morning.  Meanwhile, take care, my friends.