A Contradicting Rambling About My Life on the Internet Incongruously Written on My Blog

I was lucky enough to have two crochet lessons this week from JR's maternal grandmother, Eileen. It has been a long time since I learned something or obtained information from a live source and not in front of my computer screen via Pinterest or a faceless blogger's tutorial. It was great to have a one-on-one, interactive lesson from seasoned, experienced hands. It felt like the "old way" of life before my brain was dependent on Google, Wikipedia, and the depths of internet search engines to think. . . before we stopped talking to each other to exchange information and educate the following generation. . . before you would have to learn about me through a blog, and yet on the positive side before such capabilities existed of getting to know each other despite great distance. . . before I began living half of my life in the virtual online world where young adult women compete and follow each other in crafting, fashion, organization, and decorating. . . before we all wanted the same dang wreath hanging on our door and the same dang bedspread in our bedroom. . . before I kept up with a large portion of individuals from my past through Facebook, and before I realized how many of them I can't stand because of their idiotic Facebook posts (not yours, of course).  

Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up with the fast pace of communication, information, and pressure of having so many resources at my fingertips. I feel like we are so desensitized and difficult to impress now that everyone is expected to produce and perform at a particular standard with everyone potentially having the same breadth of information. I should know the latest songs and music groups with the ability to listen to any of them immediately on my computer, I should know the latest news and gossip of the day, I should practice my culinary skills more frequently with so many recipes and cooking tutorials at hand, I should know what to wear, I should know what nursery rhymes and songs to teach my children, I should know how to organize my office, but I just don't. If it's possible, I feel like I'm actually moving in slow-motion while the world carries on ahead of me.

Learning to crochet felt like holding my hands up to gesture a time-out in the game to regroup and compose. I didn't mind slowing down to learn a timeless skill that has been passed down for generations and should continue to do so. I realized that I don't care if I don't keep up and maybe will come out ahead after-all if my priorities are always focused on my family. I value the DIYs and information from my virtual life, but I need to remember to make time to learn and create from experienced hands. I need to follow my Aunt Kathy and neighbor Stuart in their gardens, sit next to Grandma Eileen more, feed off of the wisdom from good Sunday School teachers, and seek out those willing to share their talents.

I have aspirations of one day far in the future being followed around my own mature garden while wearing a large brim hat, sharing old and new ideas with my faithful future university students, and entertaining friends in my messy and eclectic painting studio. I have a lot to learn.