The Beauty of the Day with Thoughts on Multitasking

Yes, its cold, bitterly cold, and yes, there was snow flying this morning, swirling and dancing with the smoke from the chimney, but there was also beauty all around me. Birds in great numbers at the feeders, flashing color by my window panes. Red, yellows, browns, and all manner of shades of each. Little sparrows too, hungry in the cold.

Emery was able to be home a bit longer this morning due to icy road conditions and how we loved having more time together. With loving care, Emery carried in more wood for me to burn during the afternoon and he braved the -4 wind chill to fill my bird feeders so there would be plenty for the tiny winged creatures today. This gentle man of mine even went out to do my chores so I could stay toasty warm by the fire. Even with all the extra chores he did, we still had time to sit together by the window and watch the winter winds blow.

The gray sky left the house seeming a bit dark and gloomy until we lit the lamps and enjoyed the golden glow that filled the room with a warm coziness that electric lights never seem to be able to create.

I love this simple life of ours, even when it means going to bed with wool socks on our feet and being buried under mounds of soft down comforters, waking in the morning to ice cold floors and frost on the window panes until we get the stove roaring once again.

We watched Frontline on PBS last night, interesting to say the least. It was about how we have become a digital nation of multitaskers, and much like the old saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none" our minds are scattered from all the tasks we perform in any given moment, but the down side of that is that we are not doing a great job at any of the tasks we are performing, not as good as if we were not multitasking. We do better when we are concentrating on just ONE thing. The Book, "Dumbest Generation" was discussed and it was a bit of an eye opener for me. A quick look at the authors web page and a quick read of some of the articles there left me shaking my head in agreement and in part feeling ashamed that I too have become fractured in a sense due to all the multitasking I partake in with this digital age we are in.

It occurred to me last night that I hardly ever memorize anything, including phone numbers of even my nearest and dearest. Forget making myself learn a Bible verse each week, I don't even attempt it. I have my iPhone bible app with me almost all the time which allows me to look up any verse I want. And honestly, I don't read books as much as I used to. I still read, but not like I used to, not a book every couple of days !

Most of us that do a lot of searching on the computer can relate to those Bing commercials sad to say.

After thinking about all this, and talking with Emery about it, I decided there needs to be some changes made in my life to reclaim my brain. Sad to say, I think I am a bit addicted to my Internet world so its going to take some discipline to make the changes stick. Limiting my time on line for one and then not feeling as though my iPhone is some sort of life line to the cyber world. I will live without it always being within 10 feet of me !

We are inundated with things that take us away from hearing that small still voice and from being comfortable in silence. Today, I declare that I am reclaiming my brain.