But I want it NOW!!!!!!

Has there ever been something you've wanted so bad that it literally was on your mind 24/7 and you just HAD TO HAVE IT?? I remember being a kid and loving to tag along with either of my parents to the store. I'm surprised they didn't pull out their hair with the constant, "Can I get that?" or "Dad, I want to get some of these, PLEASE!!!!" Sometimes patience is a virture - right?! I'm sure a dose of patience is what they had to keep letting me go with them, even if I didn't get what I wanted each time. ;)

Unfortunately, I really don't think we outgrow this reaction even as adults. I get urges like this quite often - as I'm sure most do. Not all urges/desires eat me up inside and plague me in my sleep, though. But there are many that instill constant twinges, nonetheless. Most of my wants are pretty benevolent, such as having a tasting for some form of carry out (sushi!!), maybe a new pair of shoes or top, grabbing a 6-pack. . . or two *wink*.

But what happens when the want/desire isn't so easy to quelch? Those are the hardest to deal with because they don't go away so easily. Eating a snack temporarily dilutes the desire to order sushi carry-out, right? See, that was easy. And when I would shop with my parents and ask for something, their response would mostly be, "Not this time. Maybe next time". That method totally worked for them because being a kid, I would usually forget next time, move on, and be onto asking for something else. . . . just to get the same response. :) The whole theory - Out of Sight, Out of Mind completely fits this scenario!

But what about things that aren't so tangible that we want? Maybe wanting recognition from someone who offers little is what pains you? That is a harder pill to swallow! Or maybe you feel stuck in a rut in life with work/relationship plateaus and you strongly want/need/desire a change. These are the wants and desires that literally hurt from the inside and out. I have experienced these types of hurts occasionally in life and sometimes there's no temporary fix. Applying emotional 'band aids' only make it burn more. A constant sting that you just have to endure until the wound heals or you figure out how to manage and get through the day, or week, or maybe even month. :(

So as I feel a twinge coming on, I shall just close my eyes and silently tell myself . . . "Not this time. Maybe next time".

LOL, OMG, IDK, STFU, and BRB!!!

As my daughter would put it during an IM session, "Wow, Mom - really?!" I was just thinking after I got done with a little online chat with Sen - a chat where we were both in the SAME house; just in different rooms - how literally absurd it was to even be engaging in online chat when we're both in the SAME HOUSE! So in the enlightening words of my daughter, "Wow, Sen - really?!" Are we really becoming that disconnected as individuals, as a family and dare I say. . . as a society?

Has this type of communication trumped all others in the grand scheme of things? According to a 2009 article about texting statistics, approximately 72% of cell phone users had a texting plan in early 2009 - which equates to about 203 million Americans - plus the article noted that on a monthly average, texts are leading phone calls by a count of 357 texts to 204 calls - WOW!! Hell, there has to be an obvious reason why the government has to ENACT A LAW banning people from texting!! What about the teens supposedly getting carpal tunnel from texting so much?? Do we still not get it??

It's becoming too easy to hide behind our screens, texts, etc. and keep ourselves hidden. "Yeah but I'm so busy, I don't have time to get into long phone conversations". . . blah, blah, blah! Sure - I've used that one too. ;) I understand being on the go and an occasional text, email, etc. isn't that harmless. But what I'm talking about is the intent. Are you texting to just say a quick blurp and get them off your back? Are you too much of a coward to tell the person you're with that it's not working out - so you text that the relationship is over? And are you saying something online that you would never dream of saying to a person's face? That is when the whole realm of texting, IM'ing, etc. becomes a compromise to overall relationships and how we deal with people. It may be a bit far fetched, but if we keep up at this rate, we won't even know how to carry on a basic conversation. :-0

Maybe I'm old fashioned - though I'm really not much of a phone person myself - but I like to see someone's eyes, their smile, and hear the tone in their voice when I'm talking to them. It makes the conversation that much more understandable, deflects some conflicts since we can more readily get the gist of the tone in the message, and is overall a more intimate way to interact with someone.
So though I'm cheap for the time being and don't have a texting plan anymore, I hope that when the time comes for me to re-up into a text plan. . . . I use it wisely :)