I’d rather leave my technology at home. 

     We used to know who the crazy people were.  They were the bizarre people who flapped their arms wildly, talked to themselves at top volume, and often wore tin foil on their heads. 

     Today when someone is walking down the street speaking at top volume and flapping their arms wildly, they are usually speaking to someone on their cell phone.  With many of the new phones, you can’t tell a screwball from someone on a phone without looking closely.  Another clue on how to know would be, is said person wearing a tin foil hat?  Even that isn’t foolproof. 

     Do we NEED to be connected 24/7?  I don’t.  The fact is, after doing years of office work, I don’t like answering the phone.  That’s why I have an answering machine and a husband.  I enjoy being out of reach most of the time.  When I do carry a cell phone with me, it’s off unless I need to call the auto club because my car broke down. 

     I don’t want a phone with all the extras either.  I’m half-blind, I wear bifocals, and I can’t read that teensy screen.  I didn’t buy a cell phone so I could play games on it-I have a computer at home for that.  Text messaging on my phone?  That means reading that tiny print again.  Geez, just call me on my home phone (see above paragraph) and if I answer or can be found, we can have a lovely conversation.  For heaven’s sakes people, learn to talk to each other.  Verbal communication has become a lost art.  Get off your butts, get out of the house, car, away from the computer and meet people face to face.  Too many people will automatically take offense from meanings they read into text messages (or E-mails) that were not there, nor were they (the meanings) intended.  A conversation contains facial expressions, tone of voice, and all those things that are true interaction. 

     Call me old fashioned if you want, but I call myself liberated, stress free, and happy.