Move Over Technology, Real Life Is Here
Technology doesn’t work for me.
I said that out loud to our youngest daughter’s dog the other day.
I don’t know which is more disturbing- that I was explaining myself to a dog or that I sound like a whiny old lady.
My fellow coaches would call me out on my “self-limiting” mindset.
Most people under 30 would probably roll their eyes at me.
But the statement says a lot more than its face value.
What it really says is, I don’t want to be friends with technology.
Which leads me to wonder if I can get through the next 30 years without embracing all the changes that are sure to take place. For goodness’ sake, I’ve never been on social media, and I don’t even know what a Facebook page looks like. Quite frankly, it all sounds overwhelming and stressful.
Does any of this resonate with you even just a little bit? Am I the only one?
Have you ever wanted to just hide under a rock? When I consider all I don’t know, it makes my head spin.
Where do book people and “ people people” like me go to escape all of this (and I mean books with paper pages)?
I can’t go back to 2004 when I had a Blackberry and swore I would never send a text message in my life!
I can’t go back to 1985 when I would write long letters to my sisters. I mean, I could....but....remember that indentation you would get on your middle finger when you held a pen too long? Yah, I don't want that again.
Plus my hand feels like it's cramped just thinking about it.
I can't go back to the mid 70's when all the things we see today were only on display while watching the Jetson's. (Smell-O-Vision can't be far off!)
Since I can’t go back, how can I bring a little bit of the past into my present?
I can shop local and resist buying from Amazon.
I can support my local farmers by going to the Saturday Farmers’ Market weekly.
I can start an in-person book club.
I can sit out on my back screened porch in the evenings with friends.
I can continue to send notes, cards and letters in the mail (I especially like to write to my granddaughter…even though she can’t read yet..heck, she’s only 17 months old).
Once, my mom told me that when she’s in a room with the family, she often has no idea what we’re talking about. I felt bad for her. How isolative. But today, I think she’s blessed. I think of all the aggravation she has been spared. I think to a certain extent, I’ve been spared too.
I’ve worked with several young women in my coaching practice who have backed away from social media and have been all the better for it. Do you need to do the same?
How can you decrease your dependency on your phone?
Could you set some limits?
Get off some platforms?
Are you as intentional with people as you were 10, 20 years ago?
When my kids were young, I instituted Sunday Dinner. It was prompted by a cookbook my husband got me for Christmas called, Return to Sunday Dinner. It's a beautiful cookbook with great stories. I highly recommend it. For much of the day on Saturday I prepped and cooked and baked for Sunday. Everything was from scratch. I signed up for monthly coffee delivery from Gevalia (mostly just to get the free carafe!) and many times we had guests at the table. I used the good china and crystal, sterling silver flatware, fresh flowers, cloth napkins and beautiful tablecloths. Seriously, each week, everything was delicious. My kids learned the art of making conversation, employing their table manners and kabitzing around the dining room table. Those were truly great times and precious memories.
Look, this isn’t going to get any easier as the years go by. There will always be something new out there, something more to grab your attention, something that makes you think you are connecting. But are you?
Every year in June, for the past 14 years, I have my friends from the old mental health office I worked in, over for dinner. We were the nurses and the front office reps. They’re a great group of women (and get this: there are 2 Renee’s and 2 Diana’s’ among us). We have a special bond. We also adopted my bestie Stacy because she didn’t have a great work environment at the time. I never tell them what we’re having for the main course, but dessert is always the same….my Granny’s Strawberry Shortcake. One year I made the mistake of not serving it, so I had to have them over later so they could get their fix. Believe me, I didn’t mind at all.
OK, Let’s make a deal: We will both look for ways to not only connect, but also impact others’ lives, apart from technology. Meet for coffee, sit around a bonfire, grab a bite to eat, share your life and yes, gather on your porch or backyard or at the kitchen table. Doesn’t that sound nice? Let me know what you decide to do!
Take good care,
Coach Renee