Appreciation of the Modern

I am spending my evening appreciating the little things in my life. A beautiful sunny day. Laughter in my son's voice despite the fact he is on crutches and sidelined from sports for a month. The glee on my daughters face as she returned from a romp with Frank, the dog. A fantastic run of my own earlier today during which I felt the "runner's high" which had been eluding me for weeks. And a trip to the Apple Store this afternoon which renewed my appreciation for good customer service. The little things that if you think about them a bit, aren't really so little.

Which leads me to why I was at the Apple Store. My six year old Macbook Pro lost its battle with a failing memory (I can relate) and had to be replaced. It was a sad moment. I love my Macbook Pro. (Sniff) As a writer, I rely on it for my livelihood. Until today, I didn't realize how dependent I really was. I forked over the cash for the new computer and handed over my beloved old Mac for Josh (my Genius for the day) to do the data transfer. Josh informed me it would take 24 hours. I informed Josh that I would be back in exactly that. I turned to leave and digested the thought of 24 hours computerless.  Weird. I felt a little naked.

To quell my thoughts I indulged in a little retail therapy. Never fails. I was at the local fashion mecca, after all.

A bit later I exited the mall and gave some thought to how many devices I own, and it dawned on me...I qualify for geek status.  It's kind of crazy. From my Garmin watch, my bike computer, my iPad to my iPhone, etc. it seems I've become a slave to technology.  We all have. With social media rapidly taking over and being paperless fast becoming the primary way of conducting business, we have no choice.

I tried to remember the last time I wrote a letter with a pen and paper. I couldn't. Did I even own stationary? Eek. It truly is a lost art.

WIth communication being mainly via text, email or social media, face to face communication is rare. Our phones and computers have become vital to interact with colleagues.

I'm left to wonder, what would I do without my devices? This gave me pause. I couldn't answer my own question. I'd be in quite a pickle (a.k.a. screwed).

I decided to go the vintage route and hand write this blog post. It had been awhile since I've journaled, so I wrote as if. And it turned out to be very cathartic. The end product was much longer than what I would post, but it was great to get all of my thoughts down on actual paper. I am resolving to journal more often. The old fashioned way.

My daughter finished her homework, and reluctantly loaned me her computer so that I could type and post this. Thank you, Kendall.

I have to be in acceptance of the fact that we are living in an advanced era. Modern technology is a gift. It has put many new opportunities at my fingertips. I'm in contact with some pretty amazing people I wouldn't have otherwise connected with.  So why question it? I choose to embrace it. And my devices? They are pretty cool, and what I can do today is amazing. I can't imagine typing on a typewriter and submitting paper copy to an editor, as I did back in the day.

Once again, if I get out of my own way remarkable things happen.

With that, I'm closing this post. The edited version of it's handwritten counterpart. Thanks to Kendall I am able to get to work on my assignments to meet deadlines which are rapidly approaching.

Peace out,
xoxo