It’s a new year and that means it’s time to adjust the sails. Most of the adjustments I’m making are politically motivated. I decided to cancel my Amazon Prime membership. I also deleted my Facebook account because I dislike Bezos and Zuckerberg. Sounds easy but it takes thought to figure out how to untangle them from my life. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what life was like before I signed up for them. I’ve also been considering why I signed up for them. The simplest way to answer those questions is to say that it sure seemed like it would make life better. But, just like the saying goes, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. Both changed the way we all lived and became a big part of our culture. But, over the years things started to sour and I got to the point where I needed a divorce. So I did it, but now what? You can’t just go back to the way things were. Life is different. For example, I went to Barnes and Noble recently to check out their magazine collection. What I found was a very slim assortment. That’s not a dig on Barnes and Noble. Magazines are dying. It’s a digital world now. As a lover of printed books and magazines it saddens me. I do have a kindle. I bought one when they first came out. But, it’s collecting dust now somewhere. What can I say? Books are better. I love the way they look, feel and smell. My books are prized possessions. Moving ahead I see myself seeking out libraries and bookstores like an archaeologist looking for dinosaur bones. It’ll be fun. And, maybe I’ll have a face to face conversation with another human. Thankfully, I still remember how to do that. Twenty years ago I wasn’t as salty and my hearing was better, but it’s still better than Facebook.
The Heron 