The past few weeks have been an extraordinary cacophony of technical malfunctions in my environment. The heater at home, the cordless phones, then the phone line, home computer, office server, copier, cell phone issues, television ....the list is long and the incidents bizarre.
The battle rages on in the case of Technology vs. Brenda McCune. Lost my phone at court today. When I found it after about an hour of searching, I called my office, intent on rattling off a very ambitious list of “to-do’s” to my assistant, because my afternoon that had miraculously cleared up once my trial got continued. I called my office and discovered that the office phones are out again. The fax, email, internet, and calling out, all worked, all day, just fine. Calling IN to the office, though, not happening. I had been wondering why it seemed so quiet earlier when I was there.
Step 11...... “Praying only for God’s will and the power to carry it out”. If you do this daily, and I do, and you believe it, and I do, then what could you possibly have to be distressed about. It is all for the good and part of the plan. Really, God? The phones are out....again? Who am I to wonder why. Trial is not happening? Well alright, I learned a long time ago, we can only do so much to control the schedule of others. There is frequently one of the multiple players, two parties, two or more attorneys, one or more experts, one or more witnesses, any of whom can become unavailable and the whole hearing thing is derailed and re-set, continued or trailed. When you think about it, with all these individuals and their schedules it is a miracle we ever get hearing done. What we call a mishap, malfunction, accident, in any area of our life, is really just another thing. A moment in a day in a life, where God is in control. He’s got this. I can let it go.
I realized that in the one hour or so that I was, not in trial, but searching for my cell phone by wandering around the court house, I had an opportunity to do what I don’t do often enough. Chat with a favorite clerk and court reporter, catch up with one of my favorite lawyers in the hallway, meet and greet the Sheriffs at the front door security, (the guys who wand me many mornings, check out my shoes every day, we practically have an intimate relationship anyway, we should at least be on a first name basis) then chatted up some of the workers over at Bella’s Café.
None of this wasted time. Do I really need to spend another evening till 9pm in my office staring at a computer and shuffling papers around? I bet the world will not stop spinning on its axis if I don’t spend this evening in my office “fixing” things. Perhaps on this Thursday afternoon, the malfunctioning phones are telling me to take a breather. Maybe the most important thing that I have to do today is to visit a dear friend who just became a Grandmother. The pictures of a new grandbaby on Facebook can not compare to the way a new Grandma’s face lights up when she tells you about him. Maybe the most important thing I have to do this evening is to keep my dinner date with a girlfriend who I adore and respect, and laugh and commiserate and be validated by her. Maybe I just need to sit down and pet my dogs or chat with a nice stranger at the gas station.
What is the greatest commandment? To love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. If I love God I will listen to him and observe his lead, accept and trust the circumstances beyond my control. If I love my neighbor, I will take time to look at his face, know his name and stop long enough to hear.
Technology has not been at war with me this past month. Technology has been at war with me my whole life. As our multitasking, multi-platform, user friendly tools, increase and become even more user focused and demographically driven, the intrusion into real communication and the seduction to ever more doing, can eclipse real connection and exchange.
The world will not stop spinning on its axis, but sometimes, we as humans must.
