slow down, friend ::::
“4G ten times faster than 3G networks!” I read the latest advertisement for a smart phone upgrade. No matter the company, the spin is always this: You need to know breaking news and you need to know it faster than any of your friends or else you are a LOSER. For example, the guy on the bus you see on your commute shows up this morning in a magenta shirt and you must share this with your BFF – gasp! Or, the Twentysomething next to you has freakishly strong cell phone reception, thus allowing her to expound on her drunk-fest the night before, and in turn, allowing everyone around her to hear the details of Yeah, I was soooooooo wasted! It was hil-AIR-ious! I was just wearing my underwear! On my head!)
This concept of “speed means better, more informed, more in the know” infiltrates our culture, whispering those sweet nothings of “you’ll find out the news *first!*” into every techie’s iThingy’s earbud-filled ear, eyes glazed over, fingers busily swishing from one touchscreen to the next. Checking e-mail. Flight arrivals. Working out of the office. Googling restaurant addresses. Using the GPS to find them. Using wi-fi to do it all on the run, while walking through the city, eyes dividedly focused on the screen and sidewalk, almost stepping on a bug-eyed shih tzu. We ignore actually talking to people, making eye contact, understanding body language as cues to communication. We begin to think (and speak, if we actually talk to people) in acronyms: ROTL. LMAO. OMG! For some, the internet has diluted the ability write cogent and complete sentences. We think in 180 character thoughts. Tweet is not the sound a bird makes. And it comes full circle: we have a hard time staying on a task, because we are so distracted by the pop-up ad that suddenly proclaims “4G ten times faster than 3G networks!”
Stop. Just stop. What are you doing, Automaton? Put the smart phone away. Remove your ear buds. Make some tea. Sit. Enjoy the sounds of life around you.
Enjoy the weekend, tea-filled or not.
- ½ cup fresh sage leaves, lightly packed
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup fresh mint, lightly packed
- juice from a small lemon
- 4 cups water
- Boil water and remove from heat.
- Steep sage and mint in water for 20 minutes.
- Strain and add lemon juice and honey.
- Adjust sweetness if needed. Enjoy in a quiet place. Put away your smart phone! Now!
2 COMMENTS
My husband came home with a nasty cold today and when I was out in our garden I thought – hum sage and mint, that sounds like a good combination for his cold. So I just boiled some water and poured it over some leaves from the plants – no sugar or lemon. It made a really nice tea and it eased his nausea and sore throat. I think we know more than we think we do sometimes.
There is a story going around my retirement community that sage mint tea– maybe with a touch of licorice– is reversing some ephasia or the loss of name memory. I hope it is true.