Focus on the positive

Technology. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I am just thrilled with all the things made possible by technology these days. Yet when the bouncing ball on my Apple computer goes round and round, I roll my eyes and think, "Really? You mean you can't just open up this web page I want right now?" Or when my iPhone doesn't respond as it should, I get impatient. I've come to expect so much these days. Haven't we all?

Yet when I think back a few years to how life was, say before cell phones, I wonder how we managed! Of course, we did (and we did just fine). But remember when we couldn't let someone know that we were stalled in traffic and would be late to lunch—or that we might not make it at all? Remember when we actually wrote letters—or made calls on land lines?

I especially remember the five years my family spent in Papua New Guinea when my two oldest sons were young. There was no such thing as Skype. We didn't even have phones to connect us with our loved ones back in the U.S. All we had were aerogrammes that still took several days to arrive. Now, thankfully, even our service men and women can stay connected (even if not perfectly) with family back in the U.S. Amazing, isn't it? And although I won't be with my youngest son's family in Phoenix at Christmas, through the wonders of Skype, I'll be able to watch them each open their gifts from me. I love it.

So when my devices don't work as they should, I try to stay focused on all the things they do make better in my life. I try to be thankful for the positive experiences they bring to my life (even while I try to resist being completely plugged in all the time!). And isn't that true of so much in our lives? Lots of things drive us nuts even while we know how many good things are made possible by them. Life is so much better when we can stay focused on the positive. Let's keep that in mind in these busy and chaotic December days.