I have had a cell phone since ... oh, gosh ... my son was probably 5, and he's now 25, so I'd say 20 years or so. My daughter has had a phone since she was in 6th grade, and she's now 22, so she's been a cell phone user for 10 years at least. In our combined three decades of cell phone ownership, I have ruined one phone (cell phones do NOT like being dropped in toilets ... you're welcome for that bit of info LOL) and she has ruined one phone (they also don't like being dropped in parking lots).
Last month, Michelle and I both dropped and SHATTERED our phones, within one day of each other. Yeah, we're cool like that. :)
Our phones worked, but the screens were shattered -- and as they were both old cell phones, we decided to splurge and upgrade to the iPhones that everyone else has had for a year or more.
If I had a list of Things I Hate, dealing with the cell phone people would be top of that list. And going to the Verizon Store is ... torture. I tried to go online and see what our options were, but trying to understand our cell phone plan is nigh unto impossible. We have upgrades, but we don't have upgrades, we don't have upgrades YET, we have an early upgrade ... on and on and on.
Last night, Michelle and I bit the bullet and went into the store (**shudder**) to see about replacing our shattered old iPhones with new, shiny iPhones.
**Shudder**
The 12 year old who was waiting on us told us we didn't have any available upgrades. He said we could buy two phones straight out but that was our only option. I said, "Oh, I don't like that choice, what else can you do for me?" Mr. 12 Year Old said, "Umm, I can get a manager?" I said, "That's great, thank you so very much!" and the manager came over. He saw that we had been Verizon Customers for 20 years (dang, I'm old LOL) and I'll be honest, I have no idea what he did ... he called it a Manager's Override Option ... but somehow, we each got new iPhones as well as a HUMONGO bunch of accessories. We paid the upgrade fee (even tho we had no upgrades??) and then they threw in a bonus package of accessories. We each had an allotment of accessory funds we could spend (we had to spend it, or lose it, there was no crediting of our account) and all I had to pay was the upgrade fee. Anyway, I'll be honest, I have no idea what he did or anything else, but he told me what my bottom line payment was, I said, "Sounds good" and they went off and did their Cell Phone Magic.
Michelle and I wandered around the Verizon Store, looking for Destruction Proof cases, looking at all the other accessories they had, wondering if we needed yet another BlueTooth speaker ... we settled on two cases (water proof, SUV-driving-over-it proof, scratch proof, dust proof and, oh so useful in Houston, snow proof). We also got some cords, some other blingy-things and something that purports to be an external phone charger so that if you're not at home or near your car you can still charge your phone.
My husband, cutie that he is, when we got home and showed him our loot, saw the charger and said, "Oh, that'll be PERFECT to put in our hurricane box." Isn't that cute, that he thinks we have a Hurricane Box? Our "Hurricane Box" consists of two cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew of a questionable age, one flashlight, 8,000 batteries and several candles that have not survived the Houston summers. But we also have a cell phone charger, so that's cool. ;)
Just when Mr. 12 Year Old (who, as it turns out, is the same age as my daughter) was trying to complete the transaction, the whole system crashed. **sigh** He said, "Oh, it ought to come back in just a minute, do you mind to wait?" and of course we said, "Oh, no, that's OK, we'll wait." That did give Mr. 12 Year Old a chance to hit on my daughter (Hey, if you like dancing, you ought to check out Such-And-Such Club. My friends and I go there all the time ...) and then we waited. And waited. And waited.
They thought the system was coming back, but it wasn't.
So we waited. And waited. And waited.
We got there at 6:30 p.m. It was now almost 8:30 and we STILL didn't have working phones.
Finally, the system came back on, and Mr. 12 Year Old said, "Oh, I think I can get you out of here by 9:00." He did (hallelujah) and, THREE HOURS after we left home, we pulled back into our driveway.
But we have two new iPhones, a big bag of accessories and a three-hour bonding opportunity with my daughter. I'll give her credit, she can make me laugh and keep me entertained even when we are bored out of our brains, waiting on the system to reboot.
So this weekend, I'm going to be playing with my new phone, seeing what's different between it and the old one, and doing my best to make my NEW phone as similar to my OLD phone as possible (because I'm old and I don't do change well). And maybe I'll download some Pooh bling for the new phone. You know, to make it *mine*. :)
Friday, July 8, 2016
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
How I'm dealing with social media
When GameBoys first came out, my son was about 5. He wanted a GameBoy worst than just about anything. We didn't buy him one and he was heart-broken. All he wanted was a GameBoy. One day, we went to visit a friend of the family ... the mom was a friend of mine and they had a boy about the same age as my son. When we got there, the son was eager to show my son his new GameBoy he had just gotten from his daddy. The boys ran off to play, and the mom started talking to me ... her husband had always been emotionally, verbally and sexually abusive, but this time, it went further than it ever had, and he pushed her down the stairs and then, as she lay at the bottom of the stairs, he threw a lamp at her head. Their son saw it all. Dad then told the boy, "If you tell everyone that Mommy fell all by herself, I'll buy you a GameBoy." The boy agreed and now mom had a sprained shoulder, a mild concussion and the son had a GameBoy.
The whole car ride home, my son kept saying, "I wish I had a GameBoy" "So-and-So is so lucky that HE has a GameBoy" "I wish I had a GameBoy" "I wish I could be like So-and-So" and all I could think was, "Oh, no, son, if you KNEW the back-story behind that GameBoy, you'd not want one. You ought to be grateful you don't have the GameBoy" ... but since my son didn't see the big picture, didn't know the whole story, he was basing his response on what he perceived to be the truth.
That story has become code in our family ... when we see someone *seemingly* getting something wonderful, and jealous and envy starts to rear its ugly head, one of us will say, "You don't know; maybe that's their GameBoy" ... and it helps us to remember that what we see on the surface isn't necessarily the whole story.
Social media has often been that way; people posting all about their wonderful new cars, their beautiful new houses, their amazing shopping trips, their breathtaking vacations, their overachieving children ... the list goes on and on. I've been able to remind myself that this may be their GameBoy and that unless I know the whole picture, I have no right to judge or feel envy or anything else. I need to celebrate their (shared) happiness and be grateful that they have these moments they can enjoy.
For the most part, that has worked well for me. I love my house, I love my family, I have a car to drive, food to eat, clothes to wear, I have a job to go to and I have a little money in the bank. We are able to get away every so often and we have friends and family who make us feel loved and included. All in all, it's a good life and I'm content. I will admit there are times I see things on Facebook that make me want to whine and say, "But that's not FAIR, I want a (fill in the blank), too!" but those moments are, blessedly, rare and short-lived.
Lately, tho, I've seen such an ugly side of social media. Where it used to be a chance for old friends to reconnect, for geographically-distant relatives to share pictures of children, for old classmates to touch base, it's now become a place for people to spew ugliness and hatred and anger. It's become a place of discordance and strife and small-mindedness. I see no compassion, no love, no tenderness, no attempt at understanding ... just anonymous people sitting behind the relative safety of their computer screens, spewing vile and venom.
When a horrific event happens, rather than people saying, "I'm so sorry, my prayers (or good thoughts) are with the grief-stricken parents", people tend to get all judgmental and sanctimonious ... "My child would NEVER ..." or "I, as a parent, would NEVER ..."
It's not just judgmental parenting comments. Politics and social issues have always been contentious, but like my beloved Husband says, "There is no civil discourse any more". Rather than discuss IDEAS, people just post angry memes making fun of those who disagree with them. How does name-calling or belittling someone lead to a true discussion of ideas? If I believe A, and you believe B, and I want you to come to my way of thinking, I need to be able to explain A to you in a lucid and coherent way as well as I need to be able to understand why you believe B. We need to find common ground and then I need to, lovingly and kindly, explain my beliefs as to why A is correct. Ah, but that's too hard. I think I'll just post an angry meme making fun of B-Thinkers.
A few weeks ago, I decided that I had enough. I needed to detox. I didn't do a big "I'm leaving Facebook ... " post because those (in my humble opinion) are nothing more than people trolling for attention ... "Oh Sandra, you're so wonderful, we love you so much, please don't leave Facebook" ... yeah, no, I'm not about that. And I didn't leave Facebook, I just backed off. Considerably. I still posted ... I posted about how my Beloved Husband got flocked for Father's Day (which is a post for another time!) but instead of, every time I logged on, going to Facebook and getting upset, I deliberately and intentionally stayed away.
And you know what? I felt better. I felt more content, I felt less agitated and angry. I still watched the news, I still read the paper, I still got my "breaking news updates"; I went to other websites and message boards where I have friends (good friends, sisters-of-my-heart friends) and I texted and emailed my heart out LOL, but I stayed off the cesspool of anger and vitriol that has become my Facebook feed.
And it was good.
I wish Facebook was what it was years ago, when I started, but it's not. And I can't change it, but I can limit my exposure to it. I have learned that I need to surround myself with good, positive thoughts and people and things (Phillipians 4:8) and I need to be aware of the negativity that creeps into my day and I need to root that out where I can.
And when I see people being hateful and bitter and judgmental and lacking compassion and empathy -- I just need to remember that this may be their GameBoy and unless I know the whole story, I need to show THEM grace and mercy and try to understand why they are approaching the world from a place of judgment and condemnation and anger.
And post more pictures of Pooh Bear to offset their hostility. :)
The whole car ride home, my son kept saying, "I wish I had a GameBoy" "So-and-So is so lucky that HE has a GameBoy" "I wish I had a GameBoy" "I wish I could be like So-and-So" and all I could think was, "Oh, no, son, if you KNEW the back-story behind that GameBoy, you'd not want one. You ought to be grateful you don't have the GameBoy" ... but since my son didn't see the big picture, didn't know the whole story, he was basing his response on what he perceived to be the truth.
That story has become code in our family ... when we see someone *seemingly* getting something wonderful, and jealous and envy starts to rear its ugly head, one of us will say, "You don't know; maybe that's their GameBoy" ... and it helps us to remember that what we see on the surface isn't necessarily the whole story.
Social media has often been that way; people posting all about their wonderful new cars, their beautiful new houses, their amazing shopping trips, their breathtaking vacations, their overachieving children ... the list goes on and on. I've been able to remind myself that this may be their GameBoy and that unless I know the whole picture, I have no right to judge or feel envy or anything else. I need to celebrate their (shared) happiness and be grateful that they have these moments they can enjoy.
For the most part, that has worked well for me. I love my house, I love my family, I have a car to drive, food to eat, clothes to wear, I have a job to go to and I have a little money in the bank. We are able to get away every so often and we have friends and family who make us feel loved and included. All in all, it's a good life and I'm content. I will admit there are times I see things on Facebook that make me want to whine and say, "But that's not FAIR, I want a (fill in the blank), too!" but those moments are, blessedly, rare and short-lived.
Lately, tho, I've seen such an ugly side of social media. Where it used to be a chance for old friends to reconnect, for geographically-distant relatives to share pictures of children, for old classmates to touch base, it's now become a place for people to spew ugliness and hatred and anger. It's become a place of discordance and strife and small-mindedness. I see no compassion, no love, no tenderness, no attempt at understanding ... just anonymous people sitting behind the relative safety of their computer screens, spewing vile and venom.
When a horrific event happens, rather than people saying, "I'm so sorry, my prayers (or good thoughts) are with the grief-stricken parents", people tend to get all judgmental and sanctimonious ... "My child would NEVER ..." or "I, as a parent, would NEVER ..."
It's not just judgmental parenting comments. Politics and social issues have always been contentious, but like my beloved Husband says, "There is no civil discourse any more". Rather than discuss IDEAS, people just post angry memes making fun of those who disagree with them. How does name-calling or belittling someone lead to a true discussion of ideas? If I believe A, and you believe B, and I want you to come to my way of thinking, I need to be able to explain A to you in a lucid and coherent way as well as I need to be able to understand why you believe B. We need to find common ground and then I need to, lovingly and kindly, explain my beliefs as to why A is correct. Ah, but that's too hard. I think I'll just post an angry meme making fun of B-Thinkers.
A few weeks ago, I decided that I had enough. I needed to detox. I didn't do a big "I'm leaving Facebook ... " post because those (in my humble opinion) are nothing more than people trolling for attention ... "Oh Sandra, you're so wonderful, we love you so much, please don't leave Facebook" ... yeah, no, I'm not about that. And I didn't leave Facebook, I just backed off. Considerably. I still posted ... I posted about how my Beloved Husband got flocked for Father's Day (which is a post for another time!) but instead of, every time I logged on, going to Facebook and getting upset, I deliberately and intentionally stayed away.
And you know what? I felt better. I felt more content, I felt less agitated and angry. I still watched the news, I still read the paper, I still got my "breaking news updates"; I went to other websites and message boards where I have friends (good friends, sisters-of-my-heart friends) and I texted and emailed my heart out LOL, but I stayed off the cesspool of anger and vitriol that has become my Facebook feed.
And it was good.
I wish Facebook was what it was years ago, when I started, but it's not. And I can't change it, but I can limit my exposure to it. I have learned that I need to surround myself with good, positive thoughts and people and things (Phillipians 4:8) and I need to be aware of the negativity that creeps into my day and I need to root that out where I can.
And when I see people being hateful and bitter and judgmental and lacking compassion and empathy -- I just need to remember that this may be their GameBoy and unless I know the whole story, I need to show THEM grace and mercy and try to understand why they are approaching the world from a place of judgment and condemnation and anger.
And post more pictures of Pooh Bear to offset their hostility. :)
Sunday, June 26, 2016
I'm back ...
So, I've not written anything on my blog for a long time. Like well over a year. I started this a while ago, just to have somewhere to jot down my ramblings and my musings ... and I liked it ... it was a good creative outlet for me. I even got some good feedback ... then I met a "real" blogger, who had a "real" blog (and she had *followers* and she has an *audience* and sponsors ... people PAY her to blog!!) and I thought, "Well, how dare I even think that I, too, am a blogger".
Then someone else I know had a book published ... a real, actual book ... with a title and pages and words and a publisher and everything; you can go on Amazon and actually BUY her book. And I thought, "Well, how dare I think that I, too, am a writer".
Then another friend who has a blog was asked to write a recurring column in her local newspaper; the editor had seen her blog and liked what she had to say, and I thought, "Well, how dare I even think that I, too, have anything to say" ... and I just stopped. I would write blog posts in my mind, but didn't actually publish them because -- well, because.
Anyway, it's been way over a year and I miss it. I miss having somewhere to record my musings and my thoughts. So, I'm writing again.
This morning, I was feeling overwhelmed. You know that point where you think you just can't handle ONE MORE THING? I'm there. I'm at the point where I don't want to walk to the mailbox, or answer the phone or check my email because I can't take ONE MORE THING.
Both of our children have faced serious health issues these past few months; they both seem to be doing OK, praise God, but it's been worrisome (to say the least) waiting for test results and for medicines to work.
Hubby and I have made some financial decisions which, in the long term, eventually, will be a HUGE benefit and will have lasting positive outcomes, but in the short-term, these financial decisions have had a major and significant impact in our budgeting.
We have faced some lifestyle changes ... grown children moving back home, moving in, moving out; job changes, my going from part-time to full-time employment ...
I'm just ... overwhelmed. I just don't think I can take one single more thing. And what doesn't help is when people say, "Oh, it could be worse ..." and then they regale me with tales of their cousin / their neighbor / their sister's best friend and what they're dealing with. Yeah, well just because someone ELSE may be going thru something worse doesn't mean what I'm going through isn't bad. Now I just feel overwhelmed *and* guilty. Thanks. <eye roll>
I pray every morning. Every morning, as I drink my coffee, I chat with God. To be honest, more often than not, my prayer time is me telling God everything that's wrong in my life and then wrapping up with, "And thank you for the blessings you've given me ..." but deep down, I'm still thinking about the problems I've (not) laid at His feet. I'm still carrying them, worrying about them, trying to 'fix' them. This morning, tho, I really felt the urge to actually get on my knees before Him. Literally on my knees. Now, at my age, with my joint problems, at my weight, literally getting on my knees is a big deal. Still --
So I did. I turned off the TV, put my iPad and iPhone on silent, got down on my knees (ouch) and laid my head on the couch. (I'm grateful He didn't ask me to fully prostrate myself ... that wouldn't have been pretty LOL). And then I was silent. I didn't complain; I didn't list my problems; I didn't ask Him to solve this or that; I didn't ask Him to take away a burden; I didn't tell Him what I needed Him to do ... I just was silent.
It want to say I was flooded with a spirit of peace and a sense of serenity, but I wasn't. I want to say I heard the voice of God telling me words of comfort and love, but I didn't. I want to say when it was over, I checked my phone and both of my children had texted me telling me that everything was fine, and that my husband texted me telling me that all our financial woes had been solved, but that didn't happen.
But my focus had changed. Rather than spending 10 minutes listing every single burden and problem and grief and worry in my life, I spent 10 minutes just being still. Being silent. Being quiet. Being calm.
That was nice.
And when it was all over, when the 10 minutes had passed and I got up from my knees (ouch), I still had no definite answers on my worries, and the problems I face are still there.
So, what was the point? The point was, I felt like God was asking me to start blogging again; to start journalling my thoughts and my ideas. My petty, insignificant musings. I think this is an outlet that's good for me, for my soul, for my well-being -- and it has NOTHING to do with how successful other people are in their blogging / writing adventures, nor does it have ANYTHING to do with who reads it, or responds or anything else. It's therapeutic for ME and therefore, it has worth and merit.
So, I'm back ...
Then someone else I know had a book published ... a real, actual book ... with a title and pages and words and a publisher and everything; you can go on Amazon and actually BUY her book. And I thought, "Well, how dare I think that I, too, am a writer".
Then another friend who has a blog was asked to write a recurring column in her local newspaper; the editor had seen her blog and liked what she had to say, and I thought, "Well, how dare I even think that I, too, have anything to say" ... and I just stopped. I would write blog posts in my mind, but didn't actually publish them because -- well, because.
Anyway, it's been way over a year and I miss it. I miss having somewhere to record my musings and my thoughts. So, I'm writing again.
This morning, I was feeling overwhelmed. You know that point where you think you just can't handle ONE MORE THING? I'm there. I'm at the point where I don't want to walk to the mailbox, or answer the phone or check my email because I can't take ONE MORE THING.
Both of our children have faced serious health issues these past few months; they both seem to be doing OK, praise God, but it's been worrisome (to say the least) waiting for test results and for medicines to work.
Hubby and I have made some financial decisions which, in the long term, eventually, will be a HUGE benefit and will have lasting positive outcomes, but in the short-term, these financial decisions have had a major and significant impact in our budgeting.
We have faced some lifestyle changes ... grown children moving back home, moving in, moving out; job changes, my going from part-time to full-time employment ...
I'm just ... overwhelmed. I just don't think I can take one single more thing. And what doesn't help is when people say, "Oh, it could be worse ..." and then they regale me with tales of their cousin / their neighbor / their sister's best friend and what they're dealing with. Yeah, well just because someone ELSE may be going thru something worse doesn't mean what I'm going through isn't bad. Now I just feel overwhelmed *and* guilty. Thanks. <eye roll>
I pray every morning. Every morning, as I drink my coffee, I chat with God. To be honest, more often than not, my prayer time is me telling God everything that's wrong in my life and then wrapping up with, "And thank you for the blessings you've given me ..." but deep down, I'm still thinking about the problems I've (not) laid at His feet. I'm still carrying them, worrying about them, trying to 'fix' them. This morning, tho, I really felt the urge to actually get on my knees before Him. Literally on my knees. Now, at my age, with my joint problems, at my weight, literally getting on my knees is a big deal. Still --
So I did. I turned off the TV, put my iPad and iPhone on silent, got down on my knees (ouch) and laid my head on the couch. (I'm grateful He didn't ask me to fully prostrate myself ... that wouldn't have been pretty LOL). And then I was silent. I didn't complain; I didn't list my problems; I didn't ask Him to solve this or that; I didn't ask Him to take away a burden; I didn't tell Him what I needed Him to do ... I just was silent.
It want to say I was flooded with a spirit of peace and a sense of serenity, but I wasn't. I want to say I heard the voice of God telling me words of comfort and love, but I didn't. I want to say when it was over, I checked my phone and both of my children had texted me telling me that everything was fine, and that my husband texted me telling me that all our financial woes had been solved, but that didn't happen.
But my focus had changed. Rather than spending 10 minutes listing every single burden and problem and grief and worry in my life, I spent 10 minutes just being still. Being silent. Being quiet. Being calm.
That was nice.
And when it was all over, when the 10 minutes had passed and I got up from my knees (ouch), I still had no definite answers on my worries, and the problems I face are still there.
So, what was the point? The point was, I felt like God was asking me to start blogging again; to start journalling my thoughts and my ideas. My petty, insignificant musings. I think this is an outlet that's good for me, for my soul, for my well-being -- and it has NOTHING to do with how successful other people are in their blogging / writing adventures, nor does it have ANYTHING to do with who reads it, or responds or anything else. It's therapeutic for ME and therefore, it has worth and merit.
So, I'm back ...
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