Break

... from the usual post for a quick thought. I read a quote today that will be a favorite: "Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless; or you can channel your life so that it will be clean, vibrant, progressive, useful, colorful, rich"--President Spencer W. Kimball, 12th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The quote reminds me of why I started this blog: I love the Internet. I love its information-on-demand--whether it's what time the local zoo opens or a summary of the War of 1812. I love its power for connecting people, especially when the kids and I Skype my hubby when he's away on military assignments. I don't love the Internet's information overload with meaningless dribble--I've gotten sucked in to reading celebrity gossip news--or its quasi-conversations that too often replace a hand-written note, a well-timed call, or a hug to someone who needs it. Even with all the newest connectivity technoloiges, the Internet is largely a passive medium. You can spend hours reading emails, posting on dozens of social-networking sites, but in the end, your eyes feel buggy from staring at a screen and you feel sluggy and disconnected.

The Internet has the power to be more; it can be "clean, vibrant, progressive, useful, colorful, rich." But, it will depend on how we use it. I'm not saying a good vapid but viral YouTube video now and then is a bad thing. I'm just hoping for a little more doing in our real lives from what we experience online. A little bit of verb living.

Do something this week offline that you might have otherwise done online--call that old high school friend or print that photo of your family, make it into a card and mail it to grandma with her favorite treat. Let us know how it goes.

Listen

... really listen to someone. It might be your eight-year-old son who is obsessed with Legos and Star Wars and builds intricate spaceships with multi-function capabilities, all of which he describes in lengthy dissertations whether you're reading a book, draining boiling water from a pot of pasta, or typing this blog. Stop what you're doing, look into his eyes, and ask questions that demonstrate sincere interest.

Show someone you love them by listening this week.