I admit that I don’t get nearly as much done each day as I could, mostly because I seem to need to know what is new on Yahoo all through the day. I am not talking about once an hour. Multiple times an hour I am on my I-Pad or computer reading the latest news. To his credit, Douglas has asked me not to tell him anything about the political goings-on in the country, as he wishes not to be continuously stressed over things he cannot change. So, I keep the news to myself, most times anyway.
It’s not as if I don’t have a lot of work that I need to get done around the house, reading for preaching and teaching at church, and as the unofficial secretary of the house, bills to pay and calls to make to get things repaired. And, I really try hard to get them done, but, alas, I am easily distracted by my desire to know minute-by-minute what is happening in America and around the world.
These very important chores, sadly, must compete with 24 hour news access. Every time you sign into Yahoo.com, there is something new to read. I plan to simply glance at the headlines, but I usually read one or two articles. That would not be so bad, if that was all that I did. But, for me, the article is not complete until I read the comments. The comments may actually take up more of my time than do the articles, for I am fascinated with the statements people make when they are anonymous!
It is in the comments that I see the deep divide between people of different ideologies. People zing others who think differently in ways that I just don’t believe they would do if they were face-to-face. The attacks bother me deeply and cause me to worry about the future of this nation, as liberals decry that all conservatives are racist and sexist, and conservatives declare that all liberals hate America. Both declarations are ridiculous!
And yes, I know that I could relieve all of that extra anxiety by not spending so much time on Yahoo.com. But, like my students who thought that they were committing social suicide by giving up their electronics for three hours (yes, 3 hours!), I seem to think that I am going to miss something important that I should know, if I don’t check the news frequently.
A few years back, Douglas and I went camping in the Sierras. It was my first time sleeping outdoors in a tent. We found a nice place to put up our tent near a babbling brook, which sounds good until you are trying to sleep. That first night, after the “fun” of changing clothes in the dark and cold, I could be heard by night critters asking, “Can someone please turn off the stream?”
Douglas was the happiest that I had seen him in a while, and I was wondering how I ever thought that it would be a swell idea to live for days without a bath and drinking insipid coffee cooked over a fire. I took my I-Pad thinking that I would keep up with the news even at 7000-8000 feet up a mountainside. I expected to relax with Yahoo at the end of a day hiking and communing with nature. Imagine my horror on learning that there was no signal of any kind up there.
The plan was to stay for five days, but after three days, I told my Daniel Boone wannabe that I was done. I am a city girl, and camping was not my cup of tea, especially without a way to know what was happening in the world. What if the world had ended and we were the only people left on the planet? What if we got sick and needed help? What if the children were trying to get in touch with us?
After trying to convince me of the benefits of being isolated from the media and enjoying the beauty around us, and seeing that I was becoming more insistent to leave, Douglas finally agreed that camping was not one of the joys of life we would share. I disagreed, as I am willing to go camping, but in a lodge or cabin with a bathroom, complete with shower, and with wi-fi available.
So, yes, I need to overcome my fascination with Yahoo.com, especially with so much that needs to get done. I truly am working on it. Now, if you will excuse me, it’s been at least 20 minutes since I last checked the news!
Fandango Prompt is Compete.
Ragtag Prompt is Zing. Daily Addictions Prompt is Distract. Word of the Day Challenge is Insipid.
Help from Heaven 
I’m similarly addicted to my iPhone’s Apple newsfeed. Can’t put it down because I’m afraid of missing something big.
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I, too, am too addicted to news-feeds. I am trying to be more like your husband. I try to limit looking to once in the morning and once after supper. Enjoyed.
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