The Hit List - Instant Gratification

We live in a world of instant gratification. A push of the button and groceries/a ride/dinner/Tinder match is on the way. You don’t even have to think about it too much. It’s that easy…and fast. Back in the day, everything required time. But now it’s almost mindless.

Until something doesn’t work. Then all hell breaks loose.

Recently, a site I’ve used for years went down. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get access. It was toast. My inner Karen was ready to toss my computer out the window while screaming for the manager.

But what would that have accomplished? Nothing except ruining a perfectly fine computer (the computer is not responsible for me not getting what I want). A tantrum, while cathartic, isn’t a magic spell.

There was nothing I could do but reach out to various channels and then wait.

This got me thinking about life before technology. If I wanted to meet someone, I had to get gussied up, hit the clubs, and hope I’d run into someone interesting. If I needed a ride, I had to call a friend or hail a cab – and that didn’t always work out in my favor.

Once technology arrived in my world, there was no instant gratification either. Remember dial-up? The whir-bing-bang anticipation before the satisfying ‘you got mail!’ Sometimes you wouldn’t even get a connection or it would drop. But we lived with it. It was still faster than going to the post office!

Ironically, when it comes to certain things in my life, I have the patience of a saint. I’ll spend three-plus hours in the kitchen fussing over some fancy-pants meal without a whimper. But three minutes on a broken website? Tizzy time!

This is what happens when we become accustomed to getting immediate results.

Anyhow, after a few days, I gave up on that site. I began to research how to get them to stop charging me for a service they weren’t providing (file a complaint with your credit card). I got busy with deadlines and cooking elaborate food. I didn’t forget about it, but I stopped being mad. Then, a funny thing happened: the site came back up.

The next time tech messes with you, leave it be. Reach out the right person (ex: contacting content creators to bitch about Instagram issues makes no sense) and explain the problem (calmly). Put down your phone, let go of your mouse, get off the screen. Go outside, look at the sky, and breathe. Marvel at how you cannot hurry Mother Nature.

Then, give thanks for this planet – and the wonder of technology. This won’t resolve the problem, but you’ll feel a whole lot better – instantly.

Theresa

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Classes

Intro to Tarot Card Reading. Get introduced to the basics of Tarot reading with this foundational class. When: Saturday, April 29th, 2023, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM CST. Hosted by the Infinity Foundation via Zoom.

Intermediate Tarot Techniques. Ready to level up your Tarot skills? Join me for a five-part live workshop: Intermediate Tarot Techniques. Enroll before January 31st and save some dough! Class starts March 23, 2023. Hosted by Insight Events USA via Zoom.

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