Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we’ve said goodbye to another year. As I think back on 2022, I get the distinct feeling that time is somehow moving faster. It’s more than just watching my ten children growing up before my eyes! It’s a sense that ever-advancing technology and communication tools are hurrying us along these days, forcing us to take in greater and greater amounts of information and experience, until we’re not only forgetting to smell the roses, we don’t even see the roses as we whiz past them every day.
I’m excited to live in these times, where so many things our parents and grandparents never even dreamed of are actually a reality in our daily lives. Take my iPhone, for example. This thing is straight out of an episode of Buck Rogers my dad watched in the 1950s! Yet here it is right in my pocket, allowing me to see my family or run my business from anywhere in the world. With it, I can access insanely complex information, monitor my own health, or buy a car that’s delivered to my door before I sit down at the dinner table tonight.
There’s no question that the technology and other miracles of the modern era add great dimension to our lives. But this year I want to be more mindful of the cost of these conveniences. Am I spending as much time engaging with my fellow human beings as I am with my smartphone screen? Do I need to forego the speed of a text or an email to experience the value and pleasure of looking into someone’s eyes when we communicate? Should I take the long way home so I can see the roses and smell them?
As the great philosopher Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Let’s keep our eyes and hearts open in 2023!
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With hope and positivity,
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