DAY 3, MARCH 3, 2024
Happy National Day of Unplugging (from Social Media) and World Hearing Day!
Good Morning!
At the moment, I am writing this article as two squirrels decide to greet me by walking on the glass roof of my patio. The sun is shining brightly, and I look forward to summer. Yes, I know spring comes after winter, but here in the country I have chosen to live in, it seems like we only get two seasons: winter and summer.
We have two choices to write about today—the National Day of Unplugging (from Social Media) and World Hearing Day. I have written a short take on these topics because they interest me.
First, I don’t Unplug on the National Day of Unplugging. If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this article. I have set times that I go on Social Media, and I am usually there for thirty to sixty minutes twice a week. Sometimes, I have to break that time up into fifteen-minute intervals throughout the day or even ten-minute intervals. I don’t let the time factor and the fact that I have to make exceptions and adjust the time to get things done bother me.
I have not developed the perfect way to deal with social media, but I’m a writer, and social media is one of those things that go with my career. Besides that, I am an expat and want to keep in touch with my family and friends on different continents. Therefore, having a small Social Media network keeps me in the loop with the ones I love.
What I have learned is to use my smartphone to its maximum ability. That means silencing my phone in the mornings and while working. I don’t even receive notices from the different platforms where I have accounts during my time of silence. So, I unplug each day at the times I set up.
Now to World Hearing Day.
I treasure that I know or have known people who cannot hear. They are beautiful people, and I have written a couple of flash fiction stories about them because they learn to sense things on a deeper level than people who can hear. They learn to compensate.
I think of Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing at a very young age and had to fight to find herself, and I wish I could be as strong as she was with my hearing, sight, and speech intact. I admire Helen Keller, and her books fascinate me. They still do today. Thus, I have learned not to go out of my way to ignore people who have hearing disabilities. One can learn much from them; the greatest we can learn is to shut our mouths and listen, which reminds me of one of my all-time favorite songs, THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE.
Finally, here’s a shout-out to a woman that I love dearly. Our parents raised us, and she has a birthday today. When I visited the USA last year, I had the privilege of staying at her home for a week, and she and her adorable husband, Claude, and their dog, Colby, spoiled me rotten.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! CHRISTINE ELIZABETH PIERCE-HOLMAN! I love you, Lady! Enjoy your day, and may God bless you in everything you undertake to accomplish!
Have a great Sunday, People, and take the time to go out and listen to the sounds of nature.
Shalom shalom,
Pat Garcia
Hey Pat. You put a smile on my face. There is nothing like family and spending time with them if you have a nice one. Seeing Colby the pup wearing a beanie is hilarious.
Thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful day!
Hello, Shirley,
My sister and her husband, Claude, along with Colby really spoiled me. They made being in the USA worthwhile. By the way, Claude is from Detroit. Which part I don’t know. But I am glad he is my brother-in-law. In fact, I call him my brother.
Thank you for coming by.
Shalom shalom
Hi, Pat! I am having trouble leaving comments on your blog, but the site tells me that my prior one is “in moderation for approval.” Doesn’t sound good to me. Will keep trying.
Hello, Maura Beth,
When you get the message that your comment is “in moderation” it means that you won’t see your comment until I approve it. And since we are living in different time zones, I am sleeping whenever you read my blog, so I don’t wake up to approve blog comments.
“In Moderation” is there to let you know that the comment was submitted successfully. I hope this clears up the understanding.
Take care, Lady.
Shalom shalom
I’m having trouble here too. Can’t see my comments I posted just now. Happened on Wanda’s blog too.
Hello, My Dear Shirley,
I have approved your comment. It was in the “Moderation Status”.
It is on the blog now.
Shalom shalom
I love your family photo, Pat. Everyone looks so happy. 😊
Good Morning, Gwen,
Thank you. I do enjoy visiting my sister and her husband and the dog, Colby.
They are great people.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
Hi, Pat! I unplugged yesterday and was so relaxed. I wish that could be my life every day. I, too, am a Helen Keller fan! Loved learning about her as a child, and I still light up when I see her quotes around. What a brave woman she was. Talk about strength and resilience… she had plenty of both!
I loved the family photo, and before I even read the text surrounding it, I knew it was “family.” Happy birthday, Christine Elizabeth! (Pat, did you all call her Liz?)
Thanks for sharing! Loved your post and this year I’ll be packing up some Spring and Fall to send your way! Ger ready, my dear Lady!
I fell in love with ASL at the age of ten, when two girls on my bus were deaf. I took three courses of it in college and was able to use it with a few hearing impaired students throughout the years. I don’t practice it enough to sign fluently, but I could communicate if I needed to. As for unplugging, I don’t. Lol! I do, however, have all my notifications OFF all the time. I’ll look at social media when I want to, not because I got a notification. Days can pass without me looking, and I’m perfectly fine with that.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Hi, Pat!
I’m happy you wrote about both of today’s topics. The only time I fully unplug from social media is when we cruise. We’ll be sailing again in May, and I look forward to a time to just relax and do a lot of reading. Sound of Silence is also one of my all-time favorites! One of our church brothers is hearing impaired and reads lips. He’s had a wonderfully productive life and is now enjoying retirement. He helped me with some details in one of my books, since he’d worked in the location of the main setting. Because of the nature of his work, he couldn’t divulge some details I was really curious about! We’re still friends, though. I always enjoy your posts!
Blessings,
Patty
I liked the family photo, Pat!
Pat, looks like you stole my sunshine…nothing but clouds today. Although the temperature is 63 degrees F. outside, it almost beckons me outside to begin spring cleaning in the yard. But, alas, it’s still winter outside and March winds will be blowing in stuff from other yards. So, I’ll stay inside and catch up on social media. Have a great day!!
Great article, Pat. I had the privilege of meeting Curtis Pride, the first deaf Major League Baseball player, several years ago when I was invited to participate in a bowling tournament (yes, bowling!) at the Baseball Hall of Fame with a bunch of guys who were holding it as a benefit for the Montreal Children’s Hospital. They were from Canada, and one had read my book, Empty Seats. He knew I didn’t live too far away from Cooperstown, New York, and they were coming to see a former Montreal; Expos player inducted into the Baseball Hall. They asked me to round up a couple of my friends (they needed a few women–LOL) and participate in this bowling tournament. Curtis Pride was there as well. He can read lips, so one has to face him in order to communicate. He signed a baseball for me! He is now the baseball coach at Gallaudet College for the Deaf in Washington, DC. Maybe there will be more deaf MLB players, because Curtis is their coach. He said that his father taught him that nothing was impossible when he was a child growing up. He also said that when he hit his first MLB homer, he couldn’t hear the crowd, but he could FEEL the stadium rocking as he rounded the bases. Google him, if you want to learn about this amazing African-American MLB player.
I always enjoy your insight, Pat. It’s a beautiful sunny day here and I will be spending part of the day outside.
Thank you, Karen. It is so nice to have a nice sunny day, so enjoy your day outside.
Have a lovely one.
Shalom shalom