“The Path to the Cottage” – oil on canvas by Barbie Dallmann
My brain is full. There are no more expansion slots available. I have a gigabyte brain in a terabyte world.
When I was little, my grandma’s phone number was four digits, which I still clearly remember: 2980. And my beloved twin cousin’s phone number was 8-2548. It was common knowledge then that human memories just couldn’t easily handle more than five numbers. Wow, has that ever changed!
This morning it was raining, and so I turned to my XBox 360 Kinect to fill my exercise requirements. Oh, but it needed to download a software update, and I was asked to enter my XBox Live Account information. I couldn’t remember it. Just how many user ID’s and passwords do I have? Two hundred and twenty-nine (yup, I counted!) Everything from on-line bill pay, credit cards, and bank accounts to Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon. I have so many accounts that I keep track of them in an old-fashioned address book, the kind I formerly used to keep track of my friends. Now I need one just to keep track of myself! What about everyone else? I leave that to my Smartphone and computer. 8-2548 has been replaced by a home phone, cell phone, email address, Facebook, Flickr, blog site, and Pintrest. I think there’s probably more.
Is it any wonder, I can’t seem to concentrate? At any given moment, I feel as though a dozen or more things need my attention. How does anyone NOT have ADD in this age of overload? My things-to-do list just hit #16, and that’s just for today. Actually, that’s just for the next 8 hours.
As the rain pours down outside, I have the urge to go back to bed, pull the covers over my head, and pretend someone else will finish the chores on my list.
That’s how it starts, isn’t it? You forget a user ID and password, and the next thing you know, you’re headed down the road to ruin. I think I’ll take a detour around this time-wasting side trip and find the path to some simple compassion.
Yes, it’s a complicated, fast-paced, information filled world. And, yes, it can feel overwhelming at times. But with a few deep breaths, a touch of self-awareness, and a desire for alignment with inner peace, I can easily come back to myself, back to what really matters. In this moment I have the power to choose my next thought, and as it says in A Course in Miracles, “I can choose peace instead of this.”
Oh, the XBox download is complete. Time to exercise!
Coach Barbie Dallmann 
Can I identify, Barbie! My task today is setting up a new computer – I’m amazed at all the info stored in the old computer that I now need to know. I’ve really taken for granted just how much my computer remembers for me. I’ll learn over the next few hours just how well I’ve recorded user names and passwords. Thanks for the reminder that I can choose peace and walk away from this task when it becomes too overwhelming!
Sometimes we can really feel like victims of technology. It never hurts to remember, we ALWAYS have choices. Good luck with your new system. Windows 8???
Oh man Barbie … I can so completely relate! I can’t even begin to say how often I have to consult my word document to find out which password is for what and which ID I used … and just when I think I no longer have to check, I am prompted by the system to change it (for security reasons) … but only every three months …and it won’t let you use one you have used before. I thought I could toggle back and forth with a couple of passwords. Argh! Thanks for the chuckle this morning! Hope you enjoyed your workout! 🙂
Nice to know I’m not the only one! Password recollection is the great leveler! Who knew?
Love this! My intention is to focus more on the things I care most about – this reminds me to write down all Thisbe passwords and free my brain up a little. I realized I hadn’t heard back from you after sending a text. I went to write you again and realized I hadn’t pressed Send after the last one. Brain f—!!
I finally got organized enough to have my passwords in a file on a sheet of paper instead of post-it notes all over the place [OK there are still a few of those]. Surprisingly, even my super-organized, perfectionist engineer husband has a folder with passwords written randomly on the inside or on notes stuck to the folder. Overwhelming it is, which is exactly the reason I said NO to upgrading my cell phone — not the password thing, but the learning curve thing! I’ll do it in the winter when I’m snowed in. It never ends. Jeez, even a new TV you can’t just plug in and adjust the rabbit ears anymore! Plan on a weekend, no less, to get everything set up and running smoothly! Indeed, no wonder we are on overload.
Had to laugh at the TV comment … I actually had to call customer service when we bought our last TV. I guess “Internet Ready” means a long, LONG learning curve. Yea, I do often long for simpler times.
Wow, Barbie, I can relate! Passwords are the bane of my existence, especially since I’m not nearly as organized as my twin cousin! I had a pre-wedding meltdown last week, wrote you a whiny e-mail, pressed send, and it bounced back to me. The internet wouldn’t even let me vent to you! AACK! Love you!
Poor TC! I’ve been thinking about you almost every day. I should have called. (I’ll admit I had a bit of a panic after I posted that blog, thinking maybe I remembered your phone number wrong. Wouldn’t that be ironic?!?)