Thankful for the Good New Days

Day 183 of Photo Inspirations – Thankful for the Good New Days
The good ole' days had its charm, but I’m so thankful for these good new days.  I know I’m dating myself, but I was there when we used manual typewriters and carbon paper for copies. We put the paper between the paper table and platen.  Then rolled the platen knobs clockwise until the paper was in.  Then we lifted the paper bail and put it down on the top of the paper. Next was moving the carriage over manually to the right until it wouldn't go any further.  (The margins stopped the carriage). Then WHOA LA, we could begin typing our first sentence.  When we heard the 'ding' at the end of the line, we'd return the carriage with the carriage return.  WHEW!  All of that to produce a page of typewritten words.

AND now we have computers and tablets that within a matter of a few seconds or minutes, a page of words is completed and a simple Control P, prints the page out.  Bada bing, bada boom.

Back then our sources for information…in my case, was The World Book Encyclopedia -- that's where our research for school reports and essays came from.  Thumbing through pages after pages to find the information and then manually typing up what I had read.  WHEW!  Hours of research and a long time to type the report.

Now we have the internet that with a simple Google word search, blogs, information, photos, and youtube videos appear that give us everything we need for a thorough report, complete with images.

The internet is so awesome that I can repair a clogged toilet with just a little information I obtained from an online search. (Yes, I did -- last week.)  I found a miracle cure for a yucky wart – apple cider vinegar and duct tape. (I still use that remedy for those crazy little bumps that randomly appear.)  I find the definition to words in seconds.  I find stores and services – their hours, their products and the prices without having to use a thick Yellow Pages Book.  I find images that I can use in my Facebook posts.  I can find scriptures, then copy and paste them into my messages.

For this post today, I’m simply expressing gratitude for yet another blessing.  Technology has brought so much spice to me in this season of life that I sure don’t have time for bingo.  Okay, marking B-8 on a bingo card can bring enjoyment to folks, but there’s nothing to compare with the connection to the world via my computer and the Internet.  The Internet brings the world to us – I don’t want to stop learning EVER and I can continue to learn in this technology age.  Hanging out in cyberspace is my gig.  I've connected with friends and relatives from my childhood.  We talk about the good ole’ days and celebrate these good new days.  I love to Skype or Google Hangout or Facetime with my grandchildren.

Perhaps you have some lonely friends or family members that don't get out much anymore.  Perhaps, the gift given to me in this Information Age is a gift you can give to them.  They may tell you they don’t want to “mess with it” at first, but believe you me – they’ll be thanking you when they find so much  in the cyberspace world of wonder -- not to mention, they'll find lots of things that will remind them of their past as well.  After all, that's what this typewriter and encyclopedias did for me today!

It's an Upside Down World!

Day 65 of Photo Inspirations -- It's an upside down world -- well, at least from this vantage point it is. It's all about perspective. And, this world can seem quite upside down -- even when we're right side up.   What happened to the good old days when we could leave our doors unlocked, where the worst thing we did in schools was chew gum, where kids played outside using their imaginations, and gas was 23 cents a gallon?

But were the good old days -- really that good?   For years after, a trip to the dentist was still horrifying to me.  Oh the painful memories that brings back -- no good anesthetic while he drilled and poked.  Now, I have a dentist that is literally PAIN FREE -- even getting a root canal. Were the good old days that good when tornadoes came without warning because, without technology, no one could see them building ahead of time.  And were the good old days that good when it took days to communicate with a loved one because the only communication was "snail mail".   Now we can communicate instantaneously by social media and email.

In the good old days AND in the good new days, there have always been distractions that kept us from our relationship with God and the people who are right with us right now.  No question, we need to keep the priorities in our lives....THE PRIORITY!   But, when we get that right, technology and all that living in THIS DAY brings, is a beautiful thing. And, I get to connect with amazing people like you.

It's truly a matter of perspective.   Yes, it's great to recall sweet memories from the past, but being alive in this day and this time, in this generation......is right when and where God planned for us to be.  We are here ON PURPOSE and if we embrace the opportunities, the technologies, the possibilities and the experiences of THESE GOOD NEW DAYS, that will be the BEST DAYS of our lives.   Let's live RIGHT SIDE UP -- realizing we're right where we're supposed to be.  Let's make the most of being here......right here, TODAY, and live each day believing that TODAY IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!