The world
keeps moving faster. I used to do email once a day, but people kept
getting irritated that I took twenty-four hours to respond. The assumption is
that everyone has a smart phone and is checking email continuously. Not me, although
I do check it about three times a day now.
The Good ol' Days |
Sometimes I fail to answer the phone. When I follow up, the caller asks in an accusatory tone where I was. Nowadays, people expect to get hold of anyone at their convenience—especially bosses. When you run to
Starbucks from work, you need to remember to grab your cell phone off your desk or face
angry stares when you return. We’re supposed to be wired at all times.
In this age of Big Data, we are getting our information in snatches. News magazines have given way to tweets. The crawl at the bottom of the screen tears your attention away from the larger story coming from the anchors. You can’t even relax while watching entertainment television because you need to have the remote handy to speed past the commercials.
Deep breath.
It’s summer. Relax. Find a good book, a sand chair, and turn off the world. Take
a mini-vacation with a good story. Travel to another place and time without
leaving your backyard. You’ll be surprised how much you can recharge with an
hour to yourself.
I’m
breathless just writing this. I think I’ll go to the movies tonight and heed
the admonishment not call, text, surf, or use telepathy during the
screening.
May I suggest one of these. |