Home seems to be the best place, by far. Was out earlier, and am glad to be sitting here again.
I'm constantly plagued by tail-gaters (like you, Diane!) when I get out in the truck, and the rushing mentality wears thin. I was behind an elderly lady at Michael's today, she paid with a check, and I remember how common that was even a short while ago. Now, everyone uses debit cards, or charges their purchases. Cash is probably used somewhere in the middle. But anyway, as I waited (I wasn't in a hurry) I was reminded of how we used to be more patient. We weren't always tapping our feet. This woman didn't have her purse open until the goods were rung up and she had to find her pen and write out the check. No hurries, and you know, it was almost refreshing. Thankfully the checker was sweet, because it's so maddening to see cashiers get impatient with customers, especially older ones, who still do the things the old-fashioned way. I mean, how important ARE we that we have to blast our way through the simplest of exchanges?
Not sure what happened, but maybe the Internet/get-it-quick mindset has overtaken us. We get our treasures that are bought online in days, rather than weeks. We email folks and expect to hear back from them immediately, and the list goes on and on. I have even gotten out of the practice of sending hand-written letters and cards, because it takes time to select the proper notecard, and I can't seem to make myself sit still long enough to fill up the pages. Plus, email is free. How sad is that? I'm guilty too, and I hate that about myself. This rushing around stuff is contagious.
It's just pathetic.
Lately, I've been learning to crochet, and partly it's so I'll just slow down. And while I'm not ever guilty of tail-gating, I am sorely bad at rushing through tasks at home, rarely enjoying them, but trying simply get to the next thing. The thing is, hurrying doesn't get the job done any better, and I end up frustrated at time spent so thinly.
My solution is the one-task-at-a-time method. Do each thing until it's done and repeat. I'm even trying to train the kids to not interrupt me while I'm, like, loading the washer, pushing the vacuum, etc., so they know that even a mundane job is important. And I feel more productive and appreciative of my own time when I respect myself while doing it. If they see me finishing, they'll value the job more, I think. Right?
Off my soapbox now. :)
I'm constantly plagued by tail-gaters (like you, Diane!) when I get out in the truck, and the rushing mentality wears thin. I was behind an elderly lady at Michael's today, she paid with a check, and I remember how common that was even a short while ago. Now, everyone uses debit cards, or charges their purchases. Cash is probably used somewhere in the middle. But anyway, as I waited (I wasn't in a hurry) I was reminded of how we used to be more patient. We weren't always tapping our feet. This woman didn't have her purse open until the goods were rung up and she had to find her pen and write out the check. No hurries, and you know, it was almost refreshing. Thankfully the checker was sweet, because it's so maddening to see cashiers get impatient with customers, especially older ones, who still do the things the old-fashioned way. I mean, how important ARE we that we have to blast our way through the simplest of exchanges?
Not sure what happened, but maybe the Internet/get-it-quick mindset has overtaken us. We get our treasures that are bought online in days, rather than weeks. We email folks and expect to hear back from them immediately, and the list goes on and on. I have even gotten out of the practice of sending hand-written letters and cards, because it takes time to select the proper notecard, and I can't seem to make myself sit still long enough to fill up the pages. Plus, email is free. How sad is that? I'm guilty too, and I hate that about myself. This rushing around stuff is contagious.
It's just pathetic.
Lately, I've been learning to crochet, and partly it's so I'll just slow down. And while I'm not ever guilty of tail-gating, I am sorely bad at rushing through tasks at home, rarely enjoying them, but trying simply get to the next thing. The thing is, hurrying doesn't get the job done any better, and I end up frustrated at time spent so thinly.
My solution is the one-task-at-a-time method. Do each thing until it's done and repeat. I'm even trying to train the kids to not interrupt me while I'm, like, loading the washer, pushing the vacuum, etc., so they know that even a mundane job is important. And I feel more productive and appreciative of my own time when I respect myself while doing it. If they see me finishing, they'll value the job more, I think. Right?
Off my soapbox now. :)
