In the last couple of years, I’ve consciously avoided using absolutes. I’m a firm believer that nothing is all good or all bad. I’ve noticed this is coming out in my gratitudes. I seem to genuinely have mixed feelings about almost everything I’m grateful for. Ha! Today is no different. I have a love-hate relationship with technology. It’s definitely got its down sides, but there are so many little pieces of tech I just love! Apps, machines, tools… We’ve come a long way from inventing the wheel!
When it comes to managing my physical, mental & spiritual health, technology is an integral part. I love my FitBit and while I don’t live and die by it, the information it provides is useful. I organize my recipes for my family’s wide array of dietary needs and my exercises in Pinterest. I use an interval timer on my phone when working out. Listening to audiobooks and podcasts on my phone whenever and wherever I have time allows me to feed my mind and my soul. I listen to music on my phone and on my desktop while I’m at work and I stream it on my kids’ XBox while I’m working out in my basement. How convenient is that! Relaxation and meditation exercises, while not part of my daily routine YET, are accessible at my fingertips. I’ve been livestreaming church services and funerals during the pandemic. I’ve even been able to explore other churches this way, too. I book appointments online in the middle of the night and receive reminders for those appointments without lifting a finger.
I’m on call 24/7. Between my laptop and phone, I rarely have to go into the office outside of regular hours. I can receive and pass on leads in less than 20 seconds and get back to my family without hardly missing a beat. This is priceless to me.
I’m grateful for the thermostat that keeps my home comfortable and my kitchen appliances that store food and make cooking so easy. Can we all just take a minute and reflect on the airfryer? Granted, it’s not all that complicated; however, I think it’s a bit of a miracle that it was engineered to do such wonderful things without catching on fire. (I could say the same thing about InstantPots, but I don’t have such warm feelings of gratitude for mine. It’s just eh for me.)
Glucometers and pulse oximeters allow us to monitor our medical conditions at home. Not to mention the technology available in a hospital. Whew! Medical technology deserves a post of its own some day.
My family loves music and we dance nearly every day. Tell Alexa what song(s) to play and everyone’s either dancing and/or singing or running far away within seconds. We’re also a fact-loving, information-gathering family of intellectuals so we ask Alexa and Google all sorts of random facts throughout any given day. It stimulates conversations and provides learning moments for the whole family. It’s a tool to be utilized not a god to be worshiped or a dictator by which to be ruled.
Lest I end this post without mentioning my beloved online calendar. Paper planners don’t cut it for me. I need audible reminders to keep me on track. I dare say everything would fall apart without it.
Technology is everywhere. While I’m leery of some and resent much of it, I’m grateful for the benefits it provides. I can hardly think of anything that is all bad or all good.
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