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