Hello Mother

In chapter two of Hamlets Blackberry we learn that William Powers mother lives two hours away in Massachusetts. When he travels he likes to fly in and out of a particular airport so he is able to visit his mother on both ends.  Chapter two also explains how easy it is for us to make a simple phone call to let someone know that we will either not be able to make it or that we will be a few minutes late. Take the time to imagine life without cell phones, these phone calls that take a couple seconds to make would turn into 10 minutes due to pulling over, finding change, making the call, getting back in your car, and getting back on the road again.
One of the sentences that really caught my attention was “It’s good to be connected, and it’s bad to be disconnected” I definitely agree. Although being away from ourself phones allows us “The Gap” we need every so often, we also need it to stay in touch with our loved ones when we like. Maybe if we managed our time better on the cell phones we wouldn’t have such a problem with them and we would have more time to get other tasks done and let our mind wonder freely without a little screen in our face all of the time.
This book is really teaching a lot and I cannot wait to read more and maybe apply some of the strategies that William Powers uses in my life.

Busy life

Are we really as busy as we say we are? Do we just like the it sounds to be able to say that? I feel as if most of us say we are busy but in reality it is just an excuse we tell people to get out of something. Then again there are people who love to be busy and actually do have a full schedule of things to do on a daily basis. The way William Power uses Marie as an example is great. Marie did not know english too well and went off of what she would hear from others all of the time. “Busy, very busy” too many of us say this, in a way I feel as if it stresses us out more by saying it than just getting the task done and a steady pace so that we have time to relax afterward. Many of us make things way harder and more stressful than they need to be, I know I do. We constantly do this because we have seen this occur over and over, we see it from our parents, teachers, friends, or other family members. We’ve learned how to automatically say we are “busy.”
On page 10 of Hamlets Blackberry, William Powers says, “What is the point, anyway? What’s the goal at the bottom of all this juggling and rushing around? It’s one of those questions you avoid thinking about because it’s so hard to answer” This is exactly what I was talking about, we make everything harder than it needs to be and we do it because we never actually take the time to think about why we do it, we just do. If we took that time instead of rushing everything I think that we would use the word busy a lot less. We would now how to manage our time and we would then be able to answer questions such as “what’s the point,” or “Is this the kind of life I really want?” Take a minute, are you one of those people?

 

Conundrum- a confusing and difficult problem or question

Pleasantry- an inconsequential remark made as part of a polite conversation

Staggering- walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall

Essential- something that is absolutely necessary

Periphery- limits or edge

Bit- Player- actor with at least one line of dialogue

Preternatural- beyond what is normal

Frequency- something that is repeated

Perennially- repeatedly

Granualr- consisting of small grains