Please believe it! I am an admitted traitor to my generation. I detest being so easily accessible and will oftentimes "forget" my cell phone when I walk out of the house. Starbucks and other posh coffee houses spouting that "non-fat mocha half decaf latte with skim whip" foolishness certainly have their place, but nothing tastes better than the coffee from my stove top percolator - the one with the clear glass tip that allows you to see the coffee as it funnels and spins through. Ahh...that's the stuff. And don't get me started on the majority of the populous who Instagram pics of their food (when they should be eating it!), Facebook relationship status updates (when they won't even communicate with their partner), Tweet racially intolerant rants (140 characters of strongly worded bullshit from the very weakest among us) and share video uploads of vicious street fights, the latest implant craze or half naked twerkers.
I CAN'T!!! I'm done!
I will NOT stop putting two spaces after my period ending sentences (because apparently, that's the archaic way of writing now - only one space is the newness). And I will NOT take selfies of myself every hour on the hour. And I will NOT create accounts to every social media outlet in existence (sorry Twitter, but I just don't have that much to say; and if I DID, it's truly none of your business). But here's what I WILL do!...
I WILL bake my neighbor across the street a peach cobbler, because she's suffering from Parkinson's Disease and lives by herself.
I WILL pick up the phone and let my friend in Connecticut know that I was thinking about her. Because checking out her Facebook page to ensure that she is doing okay is simply not enough.
I WILL drive 4 hours to North Carolina to attend my cousin's last football game as a Senior in High School. The season wasn't great, but he did his best and I'm proud of him. And I WILL tell him this to his face - not in a text.
I WILL go to bed at a decent time so that I can wake up with the rising of the sun and enjoy the fresh morning breath of the new day, thanking God for His goodness. And I WILL tell Him this to His face - not in a text.
I WILL hug and kiss my mother each and every time that I see her. Even though she only lives 20 minutes away, I WILL NEVER take her presence for granted.
And I WILL remember that despite the changing times, the evolving population, the forecasted trends, and the unpredictable future... there is no greater peace than by that which comes from refusing to chase feathers in the wind. Knowing who you are and standing firmly in that knowledge (despite the changes in the world around you) is where your power, peace and purpose lies. And though I know that not EVERYONE falls squarely into the categories described above (i.e. falling off curbs because of a refusal to look-up from the cell phone and such), I appreciate that I and my fellow nonconforming comrades are certainly among the minority. And that's okay, because emerging technology certainly has it's proper place... I'm just reminding myself to keep it there.
Pondering this notion as I sip my freshly percolated coffee from my favorite mug, I admit that being a traitor has never tasted so good.