Time management and the ducks

Check this out. I found this little gem on Pinterest. It's an alarm clock that forces you out of bed, to kill the alarm you must swing your legs to the floor and put your weight on it. Why in the name of all that's good would anyone want one of these?

Technology is everywhere isn't it? From garage door openers to the programmable coffee maker and remote controls that run everything. Seriously, you could sit down in a rolling chair (who needs to walk?) and slide from one end of your home to the other turning on the ceiling fan, answering the phone, turning on the television, fireplace and never getting out of your seat!

Since that clunky old bag phone I proudly carried many years ago, the convenience of knocking out a few important calls while in route or receiving a call to pinch hit for school pick up when young moms are covered up or not feeling well, is indeed priceless. Without technology this would be a missed opportunity, right? I for one, could kiss the guy who first put a alarm and auto-start on a coffee pot. #sheerbrilliance
Waking in the morning from the smell of coffee ALREADY MADE is one of life's greatest pleasures. It's like starting your day on vacation every day. Pure heaven.

To say that life is often hectic, is an understatement. When you are saying "things will settle down after the Holidays" then you look up and it's June, something is wrong. Life it seems is getting more and more out of hand and I notice, we are allowing it.
I often think about when we were young married and had all this free time. We would sit and discuss what to watch on television, mull over current events or just sit and laugh together.
These days we spend fifteen minutes looking for our chargers, [one of us can't seem to keep up with HIS charger], return emails from the day- because we were too busy during the day, grab a quick dinner and fall into bed hoping for a good nights sleep to possibly begin the next day rested. Are you tired yet? All this activity makes my brain tired.

I'm not talking about the kind of tired where you walk into a room and can't remember what you were there for. I'm talking more like "whose house am I in and what year is this" tired. 

Then sometimes God just smacks me right in the face. After a lengthy illness my cell phone died. #theblackscreenofdeath Now I must have a new phone, because... well, someone might need me.
I remember the days when we did not run to the phone to see who's calling. You sat around on the porch lamenting over why you ate so much of Aunt Cora's pie while talking with family. If the phone rang it was seen more as an interruption of life than anything else.
I detest the new phone process.
"You should consider upgrading Mrs Crossley, you have rather old phone technology."
~You know what phones are meant to do young man? Make calls. If you will find me another one that does that, I will be very happy.
"Mrs Crossley, with an upgrade you can stream video live and sync your phone to your t.v. and refrigerator"
~Useful I'm sure but no thank you.

I took advantage of technology and ordered my phone online. Now we wait.

I was unplugged for a week... amidst this painful technologically advanced process something important started happening. Peace. I listened to a cd I haven't listened to in a very long time. One of my favorites. Take a listen here. 

Lauren Daigle, Once and for All 

I went through all the old Christmas decor, tossed the ragged and packed away the good. I've been wanting to do that forever. I sent out long overdue postcards. I piled up on the couch and read. Caught myself watching the ducks on the lake behind our home.  Don and I sat on the screen porch in the dark and talked about his day, my day and when the next camping trip may happen. I looked through cookbooks for something new and exciting to cook, snuggled babies and kissed on a six year old while he told me of his day, all with NO distractions. There were no notification knocks of urgency, no constant calls to pull me in... Yes I managed to get to email and work as I needed. I returned phone calls as well but the distractions that happen on a moment by moment basis were gone. What began as an annoyance at not being connected soon became serenity. Those sounds agitate me now. I'm not sure if it's my age, recent losses or the state of this world but the desire for peace and quiet far outweigh the desire for connection.

I have a shiny new phone now. Guess what? It makes calls even though it was made back in 2014. [Apparently, people can hardly wait to pay massive amounts of cash to have the newest phone technology, only to be upstaged in six months by the next new phone.] Good luck with that. I have no plans of adding all those distractions back to my life. I may be missing a few things as they happen but I think I will muster through.

If it's important, I urge you to use your words and contact me or maybe not? You may be leaving distractions behind as well. Technology is great but there are limitations to it's usefulness.

If you need me, I'll be on the porch watching the ducks.