S is for Scrolling (Surfing)

(re-run)

It used to be when I had a few minutes of free time, I’d try to get something done, like work on a story, clean a drawer, or do some squats. Oh, I could’ve written about squats since it starts with an S. But what can you say? Bend down, butt out. Stand up, repeat. I decided to write about scrolling, because now I spend a lot of free time doing that.

Facebook, Macys.com, Amazon, YouTube, WordPress, you name it. Scrolling is fun, but what a time killer!

I used to flip through cookbooks looking for good recipes. I used to pour through magazines looking for design ideas. I used to walk around my house and study every room, judging it and modifying things.

Now I just scroll. In the morning, while I drink my cup of hot water and wait for the Omeparazole (Prevacid) to kick in so I can eat my breakfast.

While eating said breakfast (a biscotti and fake coffee).

While waiting for my wet hair to dry.

While waiting for my contractor to show up.

While waiting for the weather to warm up so I can walk the dogs.

At lunchtime. While I watch the nightly news. While I watch reruns of whatever until the good stuff comes on.

While the washer is going. While waiting for the dryer to finish. During the late news.

We have become the human race of multi-taskers. We can’t just do one thing. We are shopping and scrolling while we work, eat, play, everything but sleep.

We are making it easy for AI to eventually overtake us. We give away free information on Facebook. We are sitting inside and not walking, running, hiking, biking, dancing, exercising or anything. We don’t stop to think about things. Who has time for that? We latch on to what others think and say and become sheep (or sheeple, as ex-conspiracy boyfriend used to say).

The scary thing is that some of the things he said are actually happening. The tax laws that hurt the middle class. The world setting up for World War III. The U.S. Republic turning into a dictatorship. The few, the wealthiest ruling the world. Never has it looked so grim in my lifetime (I am old). It could be that it was here all along and I didn’t notice until it hurt my pocketbook. I am paying attention now.

But I digress. Back to scrolling. Scrolling can be relaxing. But it’s important to push away the laptop, put down the phone, get up from the chair and go do something! Be with people! Walk your dog! Go get a dog! Go for a hike! Drive to the beach! Write something with lots of exclamation points!

People of a certain age seem more comfortable looking at a screen instead of looking you in the eye. It is disturbing. People need to look at each other. How many people have you looked in the eye today? If you can’t do that, look your dog in the eye. Or cat. Or goldfish (that would be hard).

I’ve reached my 500 words now, so I’m