Missing the Good 'Ole Days...

Do you miss the good ole days?  I do.  What do you consider to have been the good ole days? 

*I miss 'pre' technology days.  Don't get me wrong, I love the conveniences of computers, smart phones, kindle readers , etc.  But when is enough, enough?  I feel totally overwhelmed most of the time, having this urgent need to "check" my phone for messages, "check" my facebook for messages or "likes", "check" my instagram to see the latest pretty pictures, "check" my email to see if there is anything important there...... grrrr..... I hate the sense of urgency I feel because of these devices! 

Remember when we waited for the mail carrier's daily run?  We would wait in anticipation,  happily retrieving the mail, to see what goodies were in the box each day.  Maybe a new magazine, ( I currently have no magazine subscriptions), maybe a letter from someone special... a letter to read and reread again and again..., maybe pictures from that roll of film that we sent off a week or so ago, to be developed into prints.  We would look at those pictures over and over and over again, being so pleased with the one or two 'great' shots we happened to take on the 'ole 35mm camera.  (Now I may go days without even checking my mailbox)

Again, I love having a digital camera and having instant gratification with the picture taking.  We can repeat the picture over and over again until we get it just right.  Not to mention how we can edit our own photo's now, to make them so perfect!  It's a great thing.  But I seldom print any pictures these days.  I always have to go to my computer to find them again.  Click, click, click....

Pinterest!  Oh my.... it's a lovely thing.  Click, click, click.... for hours.... pinning beautiful things.  But guess what?  To see them again, I must turn on my computer.... click, click, click..... hey ! let me check this thing out over here.... another hour or two on the computer...  Shut down the computer a few hours later and I can hardly remember what I've seen! 

So, the other night at work, I had four empty beds and I had a slow night at work.  No personal technology allowed at work, so I grabbed a couple of magazines to flip through, while my patients were sleeping.  Country Living.... oh how I have missed you!  I looked through the magazines several times each, paying close attention to the details in the pictures, ooh'ing and ah'ing over the beautiful rooms.   Thinking to myself, I would love to copy this room.... it would be so easy, keep this picture handy for reference, and go for it.  This is so much easier to do with a paper magazine picture than something from my computer.  Yes, I could print the picture, keep it as reference on my phone, in my pinterest account, etc... but it's just not the same. 

I realized how much I missed the afternoons of resting on the couch, no click, click, click involved.... slowly thumbing through magazine pages, making mental notes of what I loved about each picture, reading through the articles, deciding which recipes I wanted to try.... and maybe even trying them!  Oh I miss the good ole days.

My brain is so overwhelmed with technology... so many images, so many facebook posts that are such a waste of good time... Yes, I can even read my Bible on the computer.... but it's just not the same.  A digital note in the side bar cannot compare to a hand written one, one to ponder each and every time we see that handwritten note again. 

Is anyone with me here?  I don't see that giving up technology is in my near future, because I would truly miss what we have... instant connectivity to friends, family, and even strangers.... strangers that we love to follow.   And that feeling of urgency to 'check' my devices for important messages.    That feeling that if I am not 'connected' , I am not in the loop and no one will think of me. 

I don't even know where this post is going... my intention was to post about this book I found at a consignment store yesterday:

I paid $1 for this book and spent my afternoon and evening reading yesterday.  Flipping through its pages, underlining the words that spoke to me, wondering who this Regina Franklin author was, and learning a LOT about how worldly we have become with our looks!  (To my mom, this author's dad grew up in Vanceboro NC.... how cool?)

Yesterday felt almost like the good ole days..... I went to several thrift stores, I encountered real live people and had a couple of conversations, I read a REAL book, ... but all along, I felt the need to 'check' my devices.... just in case something important was going on that I needed to know about.  How can we stop the madness?   My brain is always on overload.... not to mention how my housework is declining.  Why can't I stop this??? 

Remember when we looked forward to going to church to see our friends and family?  Now that need is not  so strong, as we can click a few clicks on the computer , and see what they are up to.... if they are behaving, if they are being naughty, if they are living right (throw in being judgmental here).  No need to go to church..... everyone is fake.  (for real!!! I have these thoughts!!)

Does anyone else feel this way?  What are we to do?   I sure do miss the good ole days.   I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  Is it just me???