Getting Out of Touch

We have so many ways to stay in touch and check in with each other these days that it makes a person’s head spin. Email and cell phones have been revolutionary enhancements to our lives, and after all of these years it’s hard to imagine life without them. Add to that the many social networking sites, Twitter, instant messaging, GPS systems…and it starts to feel like we’re supposed to keep everyone constantly apprised of our every move and every thought in our heads. Maybe we’re going too far. Sometimes it’s refreshing to spend time alone; a good, healthy dose of escapism is good for the soul. It’s also good to be present with our friends when we are spending physical time with them, rather than allowing ourselves to be distracted by phone calls and other pulling and tugging from outside sources. Allow yourself to get out of touch every once in a while and reap the benefits of tuning out and focusing your attention on the present moment.

Proud to be an American?

How many of us are truly proud to call ourselves Americans? We do live in the "land of opportunity" and "it's a free country", but things aren't necessarily all that rosy these days. The president we had through most of this past decade was a source of embarrassment for a lot of us, and our economy is growing ever darker right now. There are a shocking amount of corrupt people in politics, business, banking, etc. Admittedly, people usually will say that we're lucky to be born in the United States, particularly if you’re born into a good family. We have a lot of advantages, comforts, and opportunities that are not available in many other countries. However, is that enough of a reason to be proud to be an American? Some of us are proud to live in a certain city, or proud of our state; some are content to say that they are making a positive difference in their own little family/neighborhood/corner of the world. Maybe that’s really what’s important, because you can have a powerful impact in the smallest ways. Are you proud of yourself as a human being?

MyFacebookSpace

Social Networking sites have become very popular lately, and I can see why. It’s an easy, entertaining way to stay in touch with people and to dig up friends and acquaintances with whom we had lost touch at some point in life. It allows us to create and maintain a sort of community with a combination of folks that we see all the time and others whom we haven’t seen for many years. One thing that’s ironic about these sites is when people get a friend request from someone they don’t know very well, don’t like all that much, or barely knew in high school. It begs the question: Do I accept this person’s request? The down side to having this person on your list is that you don’t necessarily want them thinking they are your “friend”. They are then allowed access to your personal corner of the internet. One of the main pros AND cons to having people linked to your page is that it’s very easy to share photos and information with them. Regardless of the good and the bad aspects of these sites, they’ve definitely carved a place in our culture. People become addicted to spending time posting their random thoughts and reading other people’s thoughts and comments about their daily activities. I’m all for it. :)

Ages of Enlightenment

It's interesting to see how our perspectives change as we get older, primarily our view of what's considered old and young. As a young child, we think everyone who's over 20 is elderly. Most teenagers are eager to add years onto their young life so they will be taken more seriously by adults, so they can move out of the house, so they can have the perks that come with adulthood, etc. Then as we move through our adult years, the concept of "middle age" or "old" tend to glide farther into the higher numbers. Having recently turned 40, I've been pondering how my friends and I might appear to others. When I'm out somewhere with my friends, laughing and having a grand old time, it's quite possible that teenagers who see us think that we're just a group of "old folks". It doesn't matter what they think; I just find it humorous because there are times when I still feel like I'm 15 years old, and that certainly colors my perspective. Sometimes it actually feels like my group of friends is just a bunch of goofy, energetic kids who just happen to look older on the outside. Maybe keeping that youthful internal core is the true secret to staying young.

There's Nothing Wrong with Being Single

I think it’s refreshing when you meet a person who is not in a partnered relationship and is truly happy to be single. There tends to be an assumption in our culture that everyone wants to find their true love or soul mate or spouse or whatever label you want to call it. Some people have a difficult time finding that “perfect” match, and I’m sure it’s frustrating for someone who is put in the position of having to justify being single or put up with the words of pity from friends and family members who assume that the individual is unhappy. For some people, it takes many years to find and establish a good, healthy relationship with a partner. Often when people leave a marriage or relationship, they need time to adjust to a new phase in life. We shouldn’t assume that these folks want or need a significant other right away…or even at all. I applaud strong, independent people who have a healthy self image and are content and complete on their own.

Traditions

People like the comfort of having good, reliable traditions in their lives. This is especially evident around holidays. A lot of families have their regular routines where they prepare the same food and serve a big holiday meal at approximately the same time of day on a given holiday. I’ve noticed that people rarely go very far from these routines. Some people feel uncomfortable when finding out that a favorite food will be absent from the meal or that gifts will be opened on a different day. A whole family might be hurt or offended if one of the members announces that she is not going to be joining the group for an annual ritual. On one hand, people are very content having consistent patterns on which to depend. On the other hand, why do we fear trying something different from the usual customs? If it’s just for one year and then back to the common tradition, what’s the harm? Certainly there are many individuals and families who do not adhere to their customs as strictly as I’m describing. Why not toss some variety into the foods served at the traditional meal? Perhaps even try decorating the house differently or invent a new family tradition and see what people think of it? There are no set rules saying that a holiday, wedding, reunion, etc. has to contain particular elements to be correct. There are endless ways to celebrate a gathering of friends and family. I hope you enjoy your traditions!

To Do Lists

1. They never seem to go away
2. They always have some tasks that linger much too long
3. Sometimes we write something on it that we’ve already completed so we can cross it off
4. They stare us in the face daring us to finish everything
5. If things are not added to a list, we’re likely to forget to do them
6. Sometimes we have several different lists going concurrently
7. Some people refuse to keep lists because they don’t want to be tied to them
8. Some people lose their lists…purposely
9. What would happen if we actually finished all of our lists completely???