Today’s world is fast paced and getting faster. Every day there is some new invention that seems to speed things up even more. I used to think faster was better, but I’m no longer so sure.
For instance, the phone. It used to be plugged into your wall, ready and waiting for when you needed it or someone needed to reach out and touch you. It didn’t follow you out into the garden, into your car or on your daily travels. It was stationary. You had to be around to get the message or make a call. If not, you had to wait.
Not today. Today it doesn’t stay at your house or the office, but travels with you everywhere you go. And it’s no longer just a a phone but has evolved into a super computer capable of phone calls, taking a message, sending an email, doing your banking, taking pictures or video – you name it and if it doesn’t do it yet, it’s probably going to soon.
If Uncle Sam wants to know where you are it can do that too, right through your handy dandy little cell phone. The phone of today means we are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the speed of light. Downtime as we knew it is gone and it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of today’s world.
It’s time to take a break and put some downtime back into our lives. Take a moment to really relax and smell the roses.
Thank goodness they haven’t figured out a way for our cell phones to do that yet.
Betty Ramsey is the publisher of the Tryon Daily Bulletin. Her email address is betty.ramsey@tryondailybulletin.com.