One consequence of smartphones is the amount of news we can get hourly. You can spend hours on your phone finding news and information 24/7. Now, we get notifications on our watches and cellphones when any significant event occurs, even a not-so-major event.
The good news is we know what’s going on at all times; the bad news is we know what’s going on at all times. Use to be that you got your news when the paper arrived on your doorstep. That paper was usually delivered early in the morning by a trusted neighborhood kid whose family you almost always knew.
It was such a comforting feeling when you opened the door to find the paper on your porch lying next to an insulated storage box full of fresh, glass bottled milk (chocolate for me, please) delivered in the wee hours of the morning by the “all is good in the world” milkman. We all now live and work in the fast lane compared to back then. Expectations are high, pressure is sometimes unbearable and constant adaptation is necessary.
It’s exciting, but sometimes, we miss life in the slow lane. Quiet time to think and alone time to dream — well, that’s hard to find. I can remember during my early real estate days, I’d leave the office and be totally out of touch.
No cellphone back then. When you returned to the office a stack full of orange “while you were out” memos to tell you who called and a brief reason for the call. My then incredible boss, Charlie Patt, taught me to make the dreaded most challenging ca.
