Spontaneous Happiness and My Love/Hate Relationship with the Modern World

All the amazing information that the computer brings to me is stunning. I can find out information about anything I want, and that is too fun. Except that when I am surfing the net I am not adventuring in other ways. I already feel too sedentary and wish I was born in a more physically active time – I almost wish I was my Grandmother’s sister instead of her Granddaughter, working hard on the farm. To confound me further, I am whipping out a book in November, thanks to NaNoWriMo (see National Novel Writing Month – Gulp!), so more time in front of the computer for sure.

The other day a friend sent this article to me: Andrew Weil's Spontaneous Happiness: Our Nature-Deficit Disorder. Did it ever ring true, and I think I do better than most at making time for Nature because I homeschool my son.

I have a love/hate relationship with the computer. Great information v. loss of active living time.

One victory – I hardly ever go on Facebook anymore. Sometimes it will be a week or two. I am friended to a lot of awesome people with great information to share, and I am certainly missing out, but I am on the computer less. I didn’t intend for this to happen, but am thankful it did.

And cell phones, I am going to briefly get started on these. My phone has been out of minutes for about two weeks, so I haven’t been able to use it. I haven’t needed it at all, and I haven’t recharged the minutes. I don’t know if I will buy more minutes, and I hate that I feel like I have to have one. I don’t like them (see Cell Phone = Cancer Brick), yet some day I may enter the 21^st century and get a modern phone.

And what to do about that I-Pad that I want. Probably not much in light of the Andrew Weil article. I am currently less reachable than most people in the modern age, which is probably good from a physical health standpoint. If I get a 21^st century gadget besides my laptop I won’t be better for it in Andrew Weil’s paradigm, but I will be left behind by the industrialized world. Gotta love a paradox – it makes you appreciate what you do have!

Comments

[Jackie]

I also homeschool (Time4Learning), so I can identify with you some.

I find we also have other similarities. I spend too much time in front of the computer, but I also cut wayyyyy back on my FB time. I subscribe to Nutshell and they send me a synopsis of the day. which is great because I really don't have to visit unless I want to respond to something or post something. As for the cell phone thing, I rarely use mine. I go out without it all the time. Usually it's dead anyway. I tend to forget to charge it. I truly use it the most for the GPS navigation when going places I am not sure about. And the iPad, I would love one, but that's not happening.

Hmmm, maybe I should go outside for a nature walk now! HA HA

Thanks for sharing!
My Attempt at Blogging

[Laura Combs]

Hi Jackie and thank you for reading! And extra thanks for your thoughts. Always good to hear more stories and grow my perspective!