Time Warping

They say Global Warming is a fact and we can blame it on the Greenhouse Effect.  Maybe so.  But I have no doubt that Time Warping exists.

Back when I was a kid, which admittedly was more than a few years ago, time lasted longer.  School days dragged on forever. But that allowed for time to get homework done after school and still have time left over to play outside before dinner and bedtime. Holidays took the long scenic route to finally arrive but once they made their appearance they stuck around for awhile. And back in those days summer lasted a whole season.

My childhood summers were filled with endless adventures. Playing with plastics horses, running around like a horse, reading and writing stories about horses. Climbing trees, picking flowers, stringing beads, creating a club house. Chasing kites, running barefoot, having picnics, riding bikes. Back then summers were packed with things to do and there was time to do them all. In fact, summers were so long it was actually possible to run out of things to do and boredom could set in.

Not any more.  Time is shorter than it used to be.  My birthday arrives and before I’ve finished reading the cards another birthday has arrived.  Worse of all summers no longer last a whole season. They are now so short and quick there is no chance of getting bored.  By the time I’ve opened the cap on the sunscreen it’s time to put it away.

Who do we blame for this?

 

Like Father, Like Daughter

Dad has been gone for 18 years but I still think about him often.  I remember one time we were out for a walk, as was our custom when we visited each other.  We were chatting about this and that and nothing in particular when he asked me, “Do you ever count your steps when you are walking?  Like how many steps it is from here to the corner?”

Egads! I thought.  My dad is OCD.  He’s counting his steps!  Isn’t that kind of crazy?  It’s hard to admit that your dad is a bit crazy.  But that’s not the half of it.  Because yes, I do the same thing.  I  have counted my steps between telephone poles and the steps down my driveway. So I must be crazy, too!

But no more. Well, almost no more.  I haven’t conquered my craziness.  But I have bought myself a Fitbit.

I’m not much for getting the latest and greatest technology or gadgets.  I’ve had my computer for 6 or 7 years. My car has 254,000 miles.  Heck, we still have an analog TV, meaning we don’t watch TV shows, except via DVD’s. But all of this is fine with me. My computer and my car and my TV  meet my needs. And better yet, they are paid for.

But the Fitbit sounded like too much fun so I got me one.  After a day or two of utter frustration trying to set the thing up (if you are technologically challenged like me, you will need to enlist the aid of some young kid to get you going) I was in business.  Now this handy dandy instrument counts my steps for me. And it tells me how many minutes of exercise I’ve done, what time it is, and it and even monitors my sleep (but that’s a story for another day).

So I no longer count my steps. Instead I tap my wrist and watch my Fitbit count them for me.

My dad would’ve loved this.