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Day 119 - Inconvenience

This morning as I was shampooing (where, as you may recall, is where I do my best thinking), I thought about one topic to write about. Now I'm here at the end of my day, and I want to talk about the bread I made.

I haven't tried it yet. I haven't cut into it yet. It could be under proofed (proved?) and tasteless and under baked. But it looks like bread! So I'll try it later!

Yes, it is Paul Hollywood's white sandwich bread recipe. And yes, I tapped on the bottom to check if it was hollow.

Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk about was something on my Threads algorithm. It was an argument that technology is what has made us lonlier as a people and country. It was a Thread that was like, 15 or 19 posts, which I argue is too many posts for Threads, and it started in the 1950s or so with the dawn of TV.

Wait, I'm doing a poor job of explaining this. I don't remember when it started. My point is that it told a story. It went from radio to TV to answering machines to smart phones to convenience apps (like DoorDash and Uber), and how each step of these made it easier for us to disconnect from other people. We didn't have to talk on the phone - the answering machine will get it. We can watch different shows since each household has multiple TVs. We can get food delivered to us without talking to a single person.

At one point, she asked if we could name 3 people that we could inconvenience by asking them to come get us at the airport at 6am on a weekday. Her point was that with all of this technology, we had given up the ability to inconvenience each other or to be inconveniences by others.

I quickly rattled off 3 friends that would come get me, and then I realized I hadn't named my husband or any family yet! I felt lucky to know I had so many people in my life that would happily (even if tiredly) inconvenience themselves to come get me at the airport.

What I want to say is this - please inconvenience me. If you don't know who else will come get you at the airport, I will. I'll help you move. I'll cook you dinner while you pet my dogs. Whatever.

That said, I think sometimes we all need to have our heads pulled out of our asses. Oh, to be clear, I'm saying that about myself. I might not realize that you need my help. I might not realize that you're trying to inconvenience me or that you need a friend or whatever. Please hit me over the head with it.

The other thing I'm trying to do is be more present. I'm awful at it, but I'm trying to keep my phone away while hanging out with others. Or even around others! We all need the chance to disconnect and to be aware of the people around them.

At the very least, I can't be on my phone while I'm kneading bread. Too much flour.

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