This morning I dropped my older daughter at the local Prometric center for her Step 3 exam. This was a departure from her high school and college days when she would resist me taking her for the SAT/ACT/AP tests. She has always been very independant, even as a child she refused to hold my hand while climbing stairs or crossing roads.
So I was pleasantly surprised when she told me last night she wouldn’t mind me driving her to the test.
On the way back, I remembered an old song, found it on YouTube and enjoyed it. It never ceases to amaze me that I can remember the lyrics to those old songs but cannot tell you the words of the latest hit on the radio, even after hearing it a hundred times.
As I was listening to the lyrics, a few thoughts came to the surface. The song is a sad one about how the love of her life is going to start his life with another, how they have grown apart and don’t recognize each other, and she congratulates him on new beginnings. (this is an approximate translation, don’t hold me to it, the song is ajeeb dastaan hai yeh, one of my favorites).
The first thought was that I don’t relate to this song any more. It’s a beautiful song, but it doesn’t hit the spot any more.
The second thought was, where are the songs for me? Most of the songs are related to young adults love, loss and angst. This is followed by the 30s and 40s which are mined for comedic material. Then they skip the 50s, 60s and 70s and go straight to the 80s and 90s where the focus is on old age indignities.
That reminds me, I should look up what J. Lo and Madonna are singing about nowadays.
The third thought was that I am so thankful for YouTube. And everything I-phone related. I thank the instant Steve Jobs got the idea for the I-pod and we got access to any and every kind of music. I am thankful for the internet and the World Wide Web and google. I am sure I am mixing up all the modalities, but you get the idea?
My life became more colorful with the ability to hear my favorite songs any time of the day. I listen to songs and shabads(hymns). I listen to Ted talks motivating me to be more productive and podcasts exhorting me to be calm. I follow blogs on all kinds of subjects, cooking, running, style, finances, house organization, though I actually do none of these.
I appreciate the help with any kind of a problem from the various forums, be it a malfunctioning dishwasher, a plant not growing well, skin care, travel tips, you name it.
The most help I had was in my child rearing years. I had difficulty managing work, kids, home and the fact that I was not alone in my travails was a relief. There were other women in this world who had similar doubts and questions, and there was support for us.
And with WhatsApp, I connected with friends I had not talked to in years. We exchange posts about music and jokes, the comments following cause more laughter than the joke itself. Calling my parents and family has never been easier than with the app.
Yes, I did have trouble with FB. I had joined it to sort of keep tabs on my older daughter, FB being a new entity and she having just joined college, my first born, so I was naturally a bit apprehensive.
But I got caught in the ‘scrolling for news’ and the dopamine hits. And yes, there was an element of FOMO, well, I think a significant amount. So I deleted my account, am glad I did and do not belong to any social media. Am I missing something? I think not.
So yes, I am thankful for this lovely invention. It’s not without problems, it’s played havoc with young minds, and as with anything, too much of a good thing can be bad.
Moderation in everything, even moderation.
I haven’t covered everything on this topic, not even close. Tell me what all I have missed.