Be Old-Fashioned & You May Find Out How Cool That Is

It's been awhile since I last blogged...guess life is happeniing in my household!!!!  We took a vacation to the beach and had a magnificent time.  Unfortunately, my husband's blackberry was Murphy in the car and he had to deal with work-related issues while on vacation.  There is a challenge in today's society for folks to truly be away, rest up and enjoy time off from work.  The technology today may be of great benefit to many, but I believe that there is a growing dysfunction in society where few put down the technology and actually talk, be there and be a normal human being with others. Children especially are seeking time and attention from their parents.  April Perry of The Power Of Moms writes a great article that many of my friends are liking called Your Children Want YOU!   Folks are hiding behind their blackberry, their texting, their e-mails or their curtains and are isolating themselves.  If you watch the movie Wally, it shows the funny way that folks get wrapped up in all that technology.  Could it really happen?

We drove down the interstate road and saw lots of DVDs playing in the car.  Yes, we pulled ours out later in the day, but after we made a point to play I Spy, Guess a Number between 1 & 100, Category: Vegetable, Mineral or Animal, and a few other family games.  We were laughing and sharing a special memory making moment without technology interfering with our old-fashioned fun.  We even tracked all the different license plates tags from across the country including Nova Scotia & Quebec making it a geography lesson for my kids.  At the restaurant, we played the game Left, Right & Center and even got GrandPa laughing.  Folks were envious of our fun, that is the ones who weren't distracted with technology. 

There are lots of technologies eager to eat up your time if you allow them to do so.

24/7 TV/Cable TV/Direct TV/Satelite
Internet for Social Networking sites as well as news feeds or online gaming
Texting
E-mailing
Watching a movie
Radio

It's so easy to have access because you just have to push a button.  The nice part is that you can push the OFF button.

Being in the military, it's challenging to connect with folks outside the network.  For one thing, folks don't get what your spouse does for a living.  Yes, they are in the military and they appreciate it but really and truly...theres's an unknown.  It's challenging to find common ground with folks.  Even within the military community, it's challenging to connect with others because of politics, background, living arrangements and (let's be honest) likeability. 

Another issue is relocating, moving, traveling and/or being in different places not knowing many folks.  It's challenging to connect.  It gets lonely even when the family PCSs together. 

It's easy to eat excessively.  Check out our high obesity rate as well as our rise in diabetes.  Rachel Ray's foundation Yum-O! is encouraging to counter this epic problem in our country.

It's easy to watch too much tv or surf the internet.  As one pastor challenged his sunday school class, he said go without the tv and internet for two weeks, and you will see a dramatic improvement in your sex life.  

It's easy to get into activities you would not dream of doing.  Some taboo topics and some unexpected.

It's easy to overdo because you are compensating for what's missing in your life.

Yes, here is where I must plug in that God is exactly what you need in your life especially if you are lonely.  Going to church or the base chapel is difficult at first but it is the best way to not only feel better about yourself, meet and socialize with other, but to seek the One who can  only give you the peace and understanding that you need.

Financially speaking, it's of great benefit to be old-fashioned and to find out how cool it really is.  You will see a big difference in your life.  I can't say that the technologies are bad or that you should not do them.  I am just saying that you need to keep things in balance and yes, old-fashioned values are coming back in vogue in more ways than what you may realize.  The next time you are questioning things....keep in mind that God is my refuge and strength (Psalms). 

By Stephanie Arredondo 2012 for Alfa Sugar