Sometimes it's hard to be content with you what you have, particularly with the appealing advertisements that are constantly in our face every direction we turn. I saw a headline today that if you have a smart phone, it's already an outdated dinosaur. Honestly, the attempt at persuasion didn't even phase me. Even though I was resistant about trading in my old school cell phone for a fancy touch screen with [stop. the. world.] internet access, I have become quite fond of my device since we got them late August. In fact, I resisted change like it was nobody's business but had fallen in love with my new device practically before we left the Verizon store that evening.
Lately I have been particularly aware of how cool technology is. Without trying to sound like someone much older than my made-in-the-80's-self, I am amazed at the things that we can do and the rapid advancement of such technology. And to beat all, we think of these things as simple and have come to rely on their functioning for our daily lives.
- Blogging/Scrapbooking: Mom and I caught the scrapbooking bug when I was a freshman in high school. We printed photos, cut paper, embellished with stickers and other trinkets, and bound everything in an album. While scrapbooking is still a very popular activity, it too has evolved from the early days. The possibilities are endless, as my sweet mom is the proud owner of some of the latest and greatest equipment. I have taken a preference for digital photo albums and blogging. I LOVE and ADORE BLOGS! I can keep up with old friends, share updates with our friends and family, as well as learn about people and topics that I didn't previously know. And not only can I do these things, I can even do them from my phone. Two particular bloggers that I follow are friends in real life too (Jess & Carly) and they are both going through their first pregnancies carrying precious baby boys. I have not seen either girl in months (sad face), yet I have had the joy of following their blogs to keep in touch and see their growing bellies! In fact, I am missing a baby shower this weekend (sad face again) because we are currently very far from home. So thanks to technology (and a sweet mom), I will be there in spirit, which brings me to my next point.
- Online shopping: When I realized that not only could I not make it to the baby shower, but also mail from the Pacific Northwest takes forever to get to the Southeast, I started thinking what I could do to avoid shipping gifts and chancing them not arriving in time. That's when I came up with an idea......so I contacted Mom (through my cell phone's text feature, of course) and she was kind to offer to help in any way. Long story short, I checked out both girls' baby registries online, chose available items I would like to give, was able to check if they were in stock at the store closest to mom, then I emailed her all details of the gifts, then she went to the store, and I received a text a couple hours later that the shopping was done and she was wrapping the gifts. [Side note: technology is great, but let's not give it all the credit. This plan would have never worked if it weren't for my mom who was sweet enough to sacrifice her time and energy for my needs, and then deliver them to my friend Lora who is sweet to transport the gifts to the shower this weekend. Technology makes things easier, but people are the real driving force.]
- Live streams: My previous post was about tracking my husband's first test flight for his job. The opportunity to do that was really comforting since I was praying for a safe landing. Additionally, it helps me better understand his work and how they test (not the technical stuff, just the very basics). So this afternoon he contacted me that he would be taking another test flight to begin late afternoon/early evening. All I had to do was ask for his flight number and within seconds I was tracking the status. However, that's not all. I also wanted to participate in our church's First Wednesday service. Josh's flight and the church service were happening consecutively, but I didn't fret because I was able to do both at once:
You can see I was able to have live updates of Josh's flight and get the live stream for the church service.....all from the comforts of my west coast hotel room. I even had the church service streaming on my phone for a while. In the midst of all this, I would save some screen shots to track Josh's flight patterns (it was crazy tonight!) as well as the final worship service led by our beloved Martin Chalk (he and his wife are moving their family back to Europe to help lead a revival there....we will miss them greatly).
This post doesn't even touch on my digital camera love and how easy it is to directly insert the SD card into the laptop, which can then be uploaded to the blog (among other things), which can be seen immediately from anywhere in the world! And that is in part to my faithful laptop, which Josh and I recently discussed is four years old this month (thanks Mom & Dad!), and thankfully it still works phenomenally!
My next adopted technology is not so new, just one that I haven't yet jumped on the bandwagon....Skype! However, I did set-up an account last week. Actually, my phone has the capability for it - I just haven't utilized it yet. My Dad should be glad I finally made an account since he proudly informed me at Christmas that he already had one! :)
My challenge is to be content with what you have - be happy in your home, your car, your gadgets, your clothes, and all other material things. Let's be thankful for what we have and maximize the way that we use such things. That might seem like an odd way to end a post about technology, but I believe it's a lesson in which we all could use a reminder. Lately I've really tried focusing on eternal values, so I've felt a contentment that is very deep. A peace and contentment in my "right now." A thankfulness for the season of life I'm in, although uncertain, yet so full of blessings. Join me and take some time to enjoy the moment without looking for the next best thing! :)
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