One Giant Leap for tIO...

It's not that I can't commit. I'm married. I have children. I have a mortgage and furniture that cannot be moved under cover of darkness or without assistance.

It's not that I won't adapt. I have a whole set of adapters to use whereever I am with whatever appliance I choose. And I know what Bluetooth is and how to use it.

It's not that I haven't tried. I have this blog, don't I?

Too many technological demands are required of us these days. Should I post on my blog? Should I create a space on My Space? Should I finish that draft for the web site? Should I read "the Borrowers" to my children? We've just finished reading "Farmer Boy" and it certainly does something to you to be reminded of "the simpler times" when "free time" was not some arbitrary concept of a much-sought-after way to live. They may not have jetted cross-country in hours, but those who had less access then weren't bombarded with minute-by-minute reminders of what they were missing just five miles away. We, on the other hand, feel left out if we don't know what's going on in Namibia or can't connect with someone - anyone - within seconds 3500 miles away. This passion to connect (and to be connected, both literally and figuratively) drives us to desperation and distraction. It seems to me that "in the olden days", people put their heads down and did what was necessary to exist - hopefully happily and well - right where they were. We are admonished to "live in the present" and "spend quality AND quantity" time and "have it all" NOW! Reading anything historic leads me to believe that their lives were very present indeed. See Bedel for further reference.

This is my struggle: to put my head down and do what is necessary, both happily and well. I've been deemed an "early adopter" by the neural networks, and - while a but impressed with myself for that - wonder what I did to merit the moniker. I just can't get my head around the best uses of our time. It's a tough spot to be in, especially when I'm charged with raising children who need to learn the value of spending your time wisely. Inevitably, I return to what I know - reading, making music, throwing a ball into a glove or through a hoop, cooking and baking, knitting and sewing - and less to what has come to be, e.g. anything that plugs in. Not very savvy, if you ask me. My children are entering into a new world, one that I'm not sure of and not fully a part of, and I want them to not only be active but succeed. Perhaps it boils down to my needing to be brave, and go into this new world. So, here I am taking the leap. Look out...

Today's conundrum: Aside from our faith, how do we inject a sense of permanence into a "world gone disposable"? Perhaps the permanence we seek isn't found without our faith that this world will pass away and all things will be made new. They will be made new. They will be made.

Future conundrum: I have these tiny bugs - springtails - which are neither harmful nor destructive. I have yet to uncover their purpose. How is it that something is not harmful, not destructive, and seemingly without purpose? Why are we wired to need a purpose? He is clever, non?

Thanks for perusing this blog. Blog you again soon!

An adventure on the soapbox

Globalness. My husband, in his business, actually distinguishes between "being international" and "globalness". There you go. Sit back; have a laugh. No, it's not a word. But some concepts are just bigger than any word in the known English language. Globalness sounds pretty big to me. To his credit, my husband is working to eliminate the rampant use of "leveraging" in the documents his firm produces. ("Leveraging" - pervasive in the colloquial, but also not a word.) Truly mesmerizing, isn't it? Especially when you hear something frequently. It matters not how incorrectly words are used. (That was a VERY correct sentence, wasn't it?) What matters - and does so conclusively to the detriment of our lovely language - is the frequency with which you are exposed to the misuse. Please know that I am not immune; and when I realize my errors, I stand corrected. (By the way, how did that phrase - "I stand corrected" - come to be?) Therefore, I admonish you to consider your communications - verbal or otherwise. Little (and big) ears are listening.

Today's conundrum: Why are there boys in the Girl Scouts? Conversely, why are there girls in the Boy Scouts? Hey, everybody!...(imagine Grover hollering at...well, everybody)...girls and boys are different! We are interested in different things. We learn and experience life differently. We react to life differently. God made us wonderfully unique as genders. What is going on? - big leap - Will history bear out just how horribly the "I-know-better-than-you" baby-boom generation, who gave us the glorious 60's revulsions, destroyed the better fabric of our republic? I certainly hope that posterity will see what I see. Long live John Adams! Huzzah!

Future conundrum: When will "black" be the "new black"? I go through phases where I see no need to wear color as anything other than an understated accessory. Of course, I call them phases because there are times when black plays that same understated role.

Thanks for perusing this blog. Blog you again soon!