RETAILOBSERVER.COM JANUARY 2022
6
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com
Moe's Musings Views
Eagerly waiting by my phone,
D
o you remember the good old days when you would wake up with the aroma
of fresh coffee brewing, sitting at the table enjoying the morning paper,
listening to the news while you watched the sun rise? Man, those were the
times when life was simple and you could just kick back, even for just a moment and
catch your breath. Boy, have times changed!
Now when I wake up in the morning, I am greeted by email alerts and text messages
that all those wonderful technological gadgets bombard me with. Those alerts are
like the Energizer Bunny — they keep going and going and going, leaving me no time
to stop and be still. Where have all the quiet moments gone?
When did all this happen? Breakfast is not the same anymore. I rarely eat in the
morning and I typically have my face buried in front of a screen of some size or
another within 30 seconds of getting out of bed. Truth be told, I actually check my
e-mail before even lifting my head off the pillow. When did technology become my
master and I become the slave? I think it's ludicrous that my life is controlled by a box
in my pocket, and its control has come with a cost.
When friends and family need something important like directions, they don't call
me anymore — GPS has taken that away. My daughters don't cry on my shoulder or
call for advice, Facebook has taken that away. In fact, most of the time I am talking to
a person's voicemail or text box more than I am participating in authentic relationships.
Are we so technology-driven that we've forgotten what it's like to be the master of our
own lives?
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for technology and the advancements it brings, but I
have lost a lot along the way. I still check my email and texts on the weekends to see
what the world is up to, but maybe it's time to shut off our iPhones, iPods, and all
technological devices to bake some cookies with our children, watch movies or play
board games, build a snow man and take some family photos and some time to just
breathe… I invite us to become the master of our own lives, if only for one day.
I know many of you will be attending the International CES
®
show this month,
where even more uses for technology will be on display. While you are checking out
the latest app, why not email The Retail Observer your thoughts on how you effectively
balance the virtual world and your real one? Join us on Facebook or LinkedIn and
start the conversation. Better yet, pick up the phone and call.
WHERE HAS
TODAY GONE?
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