Hi Neighbor!
As I meander, dawdle, and navigate my way through the New Year, I am keenly aware of my comfort zone when it comes to my day-to-day nuances as well as areas I am not willing to change nor comfortable changing. We get stuck, not in a rut, but in habitual patterns and preferences. Our routine.
In a recent observation about my own routine, I discovered this: I am old-fashioned. Not old, but just old-fashioned with a few of my personal habits. It is apparent that part of my daily routine involves trends that are no longer en vogue.
For instance, I like to walk into a bank to cash or deposit a check.
Frequently, I like to air wet laundry on a foldable drying rack.
I like to read a newspaper by holding it in my hands. Same with a book. A hard copy for me, please.
I like a printed version of just about everything including schedules, paid receipts, and my Christmas card mailing list.
I prefer a handwritten list for the grocery store, and I always have a running, hand written “to do” list on my desk.
I need to feel and see the hard copy. I enjoy the satisfaction of the literal pen crossing off an accomplished item from my list. And I relish in the smell and the feel of a printed book in my lap, carefully selected from the good, old-fashioned bookstore, as the glossy cover sits on my nightstand,
There is no replacement for routines that bring simple pleasure.
For me, writing a list or reading a newspaper is not any more cumbersome than accomplishing the same task on a smart phone. Each task still takes time and still has its own steps; think typing on a small keyboard or squinting at a tiny screen versus having the larger, more palpable paper and writing apparatus to physically hold. Same difference?
In fact, I DO make lists on my phone so I can forward them to people to make sure we are on the same literal page, and yes, I do read news articles on my phone for convenience while waiting in the deli line to save time. Admittedly, the newer technology allows us to live in a futuristic stratosphere and makes for more streamlined functioning, but I would miss the tangible feel of pen and paper in my hands if I eliminated them completely.
Do not get me wrong. I am a forward thinker, too. I like to stay current in fashion, trends, pop-culture, and my children’s’ lives. I am in awe of my new smart phone that recognizes me by my face, not my fingerprint. And I am amazed at how quickly technology changes, adapts, and moves forward, much like the Jetsons foreshadowed in the cartoon of our childhood.
But I also do not have a problem with slowing things down a bit, taking these small tasks back to a simpler time when we seemed to have more time to accomplish them – and to write them down.
There is an argument here for both preferences – eliminate mass production of newspapers as it’s better for the environment BUT it also changes the economy by shutting down industries and stores that made a living on newspapers while putting people out of work.
I realize my thought process and execution is a bit incongruous, as I am willing to take a little bit of this (the old) and a little bit of that (the new) to get through each day efficiently. Maybe it is the best of both worlds this old-fashioned gal wants and needs. Whatever gets you through the day, right?
What old-fashioned fetish do you still hold on to?
Curiously old-fashioned,
Jackie
OMG! I feel EXACTLY the same way, and I’m just fine with that.
OMG! I feel EXACTLY the same way, and I’m just fine with that.
View lessExactly! There is some comfort in tried and true.
Exactly! There is some comfort in tried and true.
View lessIncongruity? Yes. I keep a TO DO list on my phone and on paper. I keep up on news on the internet, yet I love holding a book as I escape into it. My old fashion fetish? Watching film noir while sipping a martini.
Living in the best of times.
Our Lord gets me through the day.
Incongruity? Yes. I keep a TO DO list on my phone and on paper. I keep up on news on the internet, yet I love holding a book as I escape into it. My old fashion fetish? Watching film noir while sipping a martini.
View lessLiving in the best of times.
Our Lord gets me through the day.
It IS the best of times! Enjoy those old-fashioned notions!
It IS the best of times! Enjoy those old-fashioned notions!
View lessI’m with you Jackie!! I make a daily list, a low hanging fruit list and a “whenever” list and I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I can check it off. Plus, I’d forget to do half of the things on my list if I don’t write them down!!
I love your online articles!!
I’m with you Jackie!! I make a daily list, a low hanging fruit list and a “whenever” list and I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I can check it off. Plus, I’d forget to do half of the things on my list if I don’t write them down!!
I love your online articles!!
View lessThanks, Lesley! We are definitely on the same page! Check!
Thanks, Lesley! We are definitely on the same page! Check!
View less